The Women of Mosuo

Gaining new knowledge is not just a habit for me; it is an essential part of my life and work. So, imagine my excitement when I stumbled on this article that not only provided me with new knowledge but also exposed me to a cultural practice I had zero knowledge of.

The world is such a patriarchal place that even the tiniest whiff of matriarchy tickles me to no end. Due to my deep fascination with women and all things historical, I have come across a mountain of derogatory practices meted out against women from the beginning of time. I have even written about a few. One of such was the practice of foot binding in China which required that little girls between the ages of five and eight have their feet bound by tightly wrapping them in a cloth till their bones are crushed and decayed skin healed. Whenever I read about this practice, I cringe and sigh so bad.

Recently, I read in a book about the non-guardianship status of women over their very own children in the event of their husband’s death. This law was very popular in the early and late nineteenth century and it might even surprise you to know that in some places, especially in Africa, this practice still exists. A legally married wife being unable to inherit her husband’s properties or take guardianship of the children even though they are minors? How preposterous!

Just last week, I read the story of a young girl who was kidnapped and forcefully “married” by a man who felt threatened by her economic potential. Apparently it is an acceptable practice to forcefully kidnap, marry by means of impregnating, a girl of your choice, in the Makoko community of Lagos state, Nigeria. I honestly thought forced marriages were becoming extinct till I read that article.

Yet another practice I read about was of the exclusion of women from the Olympics which was only reversed in 2012! How about the practice of virginity testing for female recruits in the Indonesian army that only got repealed in 2021!

I could go on and on about these customs but I fear that you will end up even angrier than I already am.

My aim in citing these examples of discriminatory practices against women is not to make you feel sorry for women or make you angry (which is completely acceptable), it is to explain my excitement when I stumbled on the women of Mosuo who are enjoying a form of autonomy that a large percentage of women around the world cannot boast of.

Described as one of the last matriarchal societies in the world, the Mosuo tribe lives in isolation away from the reach of Western civilization. In this community, known across China as the “Kingdom of Women”, women are in charge. They make most of the major decisions, have full ownership of land and properties, have full rights to the children they give birth to, pass down property and family names and also control household finances. Whew!

What led me to the Mosuo was an article I read about the concept of walking marriages. Women from age 13 in this tribe have the freedom to take as many lovers as they want in their lifetime and raise the resultant children from these unions. There are no words to express the concept of “father” as men are generally referred to as “uncles”.

For more about the Mosuo tribe and the practice of Zuo Hun, you would have to go look it up yourself for deeper insight. Unfortunately, the Mosuo are not immune to the charms of Western civilization afterall, as the cultural practice is slowly dying out.

Meanwhile, some people (men especially), are willing to lay their lives down arguing that a culture like this is an abomination and the sky will fall if women are “allowed” any form of autonomy.

It might interest you to know that the Mosuo of China is not the only matriarchal society that still exists. There are the Minangbaku of Indonesia, the Nagovisi of New Guinea and Australia and the Khasi and Garo of India are examples of societies where women are in charge in one or more forms.

For me, the biggest lesson from this is that nothing in life is absolute or set in stone that cannot be changed. I bet that years ago women would have sworn that they would never be able to vote; but now we see women voting in and contesting for elections. Things are changing, ancient landmarks are being shifted and the race towards gender equality is gradually yet swiftly coming to an end.