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Where women rule ! ... by Simon & Katerina

Updated May 2013 - The final draft is complete; we are now adding the pictures...

Watch Katerina's slide show - Mexican Matriarchy - shortlisted for KOLEM SVĚTA festival 2012 in Prague.

See photos from our recent research trip to Mexico on our - Facebook page.

About the Matriarchal Project:

Over the last 6 years we have travelled to five of the strongest matriarchal cultures on the planet, to find out - once and for all - if women really are in control?

Armed with a dictaphone and painting materials, we have ventured deep into the hearts of these societies, meeting the local people and making on-location paintings and sketches. From these experiences we have compiled an investigative travel book, filled with direct conversation, historical facts and legends, and our own quirky pictures.

What can learn from these alternative family structures, and what does the future hold?

Here are some of the situations we have come across:

• Women, as equals, or even leaders, without having to fight for their rights.
• Matriarchy, existing within an Islamic society.
• Men, feeling so put down, they are driven to fight for equal-rights.
• Tourism, helping to create a matriarchal sex theme park.
• Matriarchy, a pure state of mind.

List of matriarchal* cultures:

Isthmus Zapotec culture, Mexico. 2011

Made famous by the artist Diego Rivera and his wife Frida Khalo, the 'Tehuanas' (Isthmus Zapotec women from Tehuantepec) are now fast loosing their traditions. It is only the well-built women working the markets who practice the old ways of keeping the family money. Increased beer consumption at the local fiestas, and the spreading of machismo from the rest of Mexico, is changing how people behave.

Mosuo Culture, China. 2009

This is a small, but strong matrilineal culture, that is quickly developing into a major tourist attraction for the Han Chinese. Visitors, however, are not only attracted by the unpresidented beauty of Lugo Lake, but also by the idea that female autonomy means promiscuity.

Minangkabau culture, Sumatra. 2008

This is the largest matrilineal** culture in the world - and it is also Muslim. In order for local culture and religion to co-exist, both have had to make compromises. Today, the main threat to both culture and religion is the invading consumer driven life style, which is sweeping across much of Southeast Asia like a huge wave.

Khasi culture, India. 2008

The Khasis are already very well integrated into the modern world, and have managed to protect their matrilineal system from the rest of India very successfully. Their success at preserving local tradition, however, has angered a minority of men, who have upped their fight for equality, and now demand a complete reversal of the system.

Garo culture, India. 2008

Former head-hunters living under the dominion of women headed clans, the Garo are now among the friendliest people you will meet in Northeast of India. With the recent discovery of coal in the region, however, comes the temptation to indulge, and it is the cheap Indian-made liquors that seem to have attracted the Garo first.

• Note: These cultures do not exist in a bubble of their own; they are all very much integrated into the modern commercial world. This makes the idea of a matriarchal culture suddenly a lot more compelling, because it means they have managed to preserve their special social systems despite the onslaught of globalisation.

The authors:

Katerina - studied law, and now works as a human-rights and development profesional. She first became interested in matriarchal* cultures when she was working for 'WomanKind Worldwide' in London. Since then, she has convinced Simon to join her on a quest to visit the most extreme women run cultures on the planet.

Simon - studied fine art painting, and is now a seasoned travelartist. He first encountered a matriarchal culture by chance at the end of a 14 day hike in China. He arrived at Lugo Lake, home of the Mosuo people, a culture where women never get married, and can have unlimited relationships, and where men never escape from their mother's.

Words explained:

• *Matriarchal - is a derivative of matriarchy, which in Greek means ‘Mother’s rule’. Matriarchy is often interpreted to mean the exact opposite of patriarchy ‘Father’s rule’. Modern-day anthropologists, however, have not found any conclusive proof that a matriarchy ever existed on our planet. In fact they cannot agree on the exact meaning of the word, preferring to describe cultures where women play a dominant role with more specific terms, like: matrilineal, matrilocal or matrifocal (see below). For our project we have tried to keep anthropological terminology to a minimum, and use the word ‘matriarchal’ in the broadest possible sense.

• **Matrilineal - passing of the family name, privileges and property from mother to children, with the family house sometimes being inherited solely by a daughter. (The opposite system is patrilineal).

• Matrilocal residence - after marriage a man moves to his bride’s family house.

• Matrifocal family - the family is focused around the mother, with the father playing a less important role.