There is a school of thought that believes human society was originally matriarchal. From around 1.5 million years ago women were revered as priestesses and honoured for their ability to bear children. Archaeological evidence such as ancient Venus statues seems to support this. But somewhere around 3 000BC the balance shifted and so scholars believe society was thereafter dominated by men; the patriarchy was born. Although this school of thought known as the myth of matriarchal prehistory has been knocking around since the Classical Greek era it really took off in the feminist waves of the late-20th century. Scholars and academics scoured the history books for tales of the queen-priestess of Minoan Crete the legends of the Amazonian women the Germanic tribe of the Sitonians the Cham of central Vietnam anywhere and everywhere for evidence of matriarchies and crucially whether they were something to emulate. Read more Everything you need to know about International Women s Day Closing gender pay gap would boost UK women s pay by 90bn annually Thousands of protesters call for gender equality at March4Women rally But these days the word matriarchy carries some misinterpretations. And it s important to clarify that in feminist thought the ideal of the harmonious nature-worshipping matriarchy is not the mirror image of patriarchy. According to Heide Goettner-Abendroth matriarchy expert and founder of The International Academy Hagia for Modern Matriarchal Studies: In matriarchies mothers are at the centre of culture without ruling over other members of society. The aim she explains to Dame magazine is not to have power over others and over nature but to follow maternal values ie to nurture the natural social and cultural life based on mutual respect . So patriarchy: power over others. Matriarchy: power from within. Nor are we talking Wonder Women and her hidden island of Amazonian warriors. That is to say matriarchy isn t really about women ruling over men. Catherine Endsell is an expedition leader and founder of Matriarch Adventures which takes women out into the desert to observe elephants: the ultimate matriarchy . Endsell explains that she has always been drawn to the idea of matriarchal societies the idea of women living a more egalitarian lifestyle with strong community bonds and a healthy bartering system that is supportive rather than exclusive; wise rather than merely strong . She stresses: I don t see it as a society that oppresses men; more a society that values instinct as much as intellect receptivity as much as assertiveness collaboration as much as individualism and empathy as much as objectivity. Elephants she explains are the iconic matriarchs : In the elephant world successful matriarchs are not self-appointed leaders of their family; they are leaders because their family respects them and they are respected because they are proven over the years that they can be trusted to make wise decisions. Through the years older females become repositories of social and ecological knowledge. So natural leadership qualities and long experience combined are the makings of a wise matriarch. Endsell believes that this is a good example of how wisdom charisma and experience are deemed honourable qualities perhaps we should look for that in our leaders male or female . These days Merriam-Webster defines matriarchy both as a group or state governed by women and as system of social organisation in which inheritance is traced through the female line. These are more commonly known as matrilineal societies where studies record significantly less crime violence and divorce than in traditionally patriarchal societies and significantly more sex. Just look at our two closest genetic relations: the bonobo and the chimpanzee. As Karen Joy Fowler so neatly summarises in her award-winning novel We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves the bonobo and the chimpanzee are the perfect allegory for matriarchy vs patriarchy. International Women s Day: Why we celebrate it Chimpanzees are a textbook example of a male-dominated animal society. The lowest-status male ranks higher than the highest-status female. Extreme violence and infanticide are common while female chimps have no say in their sexual partners. The seriously endangered bonobo on the other hand found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo is almost identical genetically but could not be more different socially. Sisterly solidarity prevails with the females running the peaceful egalitarian show. The primates are also famed for their use of sex to solve every problem in any situation and crucially with any gender. The two primates so genetically similar and yet so drastically different perhaps provide an insight into the direction human social evolution could have taken. But does Endsell think the concept of matriarchy has a future in society? To live communally as many women around the world do even if they are not matriarchal societies as such is a very nurturing and supportive way to live. And even to this day matriarchal societies exist all over the globe. Below are five very different examples of female-led and matrilineal cultures from around the world. Mosuo China Each Mosuo household is ruled by an ah mi mother figure (Getty) In the foothills of the Himalayan mountains by the Lugu Lake in south-west China there exists the land where women rule or the kingdom of women : the Mosuo. Officially the Chinese government classifies them as an ethnic minority known as the Nakhi but in reality the Mosuo are culturally unique. For the 40 000 or so of the group who call themselves the Na China s one-child policy held no sway. Indeed they have been practising matriarchy for thousands of years. Each large household is ruled by an ah mi the matriarch and property and lineage are passed down through the female line. Typically women take care of business and men take care of the animals. Children belong to their mothers; indeed babies often do not know who their father is for which there is no stigma. This is partly down to what is known as walking marriage Mosuo men stay with their mothers and at night women choose a partner by walking to his home. Couples traditionally did not live together; in fact the language has no word for husband or father . The women take lovers from various tribes enjoying relatively unique sexual agency and freedom from judgement with one exception. Many visitors misunderstand these cultural practices and assume that Mosuo women offer free sex. Tourism has flourished in the area and the Lugu Lake now boasts a red-light district. Minangkabau Indonesia Mingan women of Indonesia are in charge of the land and choose their chiefs (Getty) The highlands of West Sumatra are home to the largest known matrilineal society: the Minangkabau. In fact the population is around 4.2 million. According to legend King Maharajo Dirajo who established the Koto Batu kingdom died in the 1300s leaving three baby sons by three wives. His first wife Puti Indo Jalito is said to have taken charge of the kingdom setting the stage for a female-led society. Both land and family name pass from mother to daughter while men take on religious and political roles although some women do also enter into these spheres. However while the men may take on the leader s role it is in fact the women who choose the chief and can remove him if necessary. But the matriarchal Minangkabau culture has in part been shaped by its diaspora; men typically travel out of the country for long periods of time to work leaving the women behind to care for the land and property. Minangs argue that: Men can live anywhere and so do not need a house like women do. Alapine Village Alabama Lesbian paradise hippy commune no-man s land... there are many epithets for the hundred or so remaining female-only colonies in America but the official name (and spelling) is Womyn s Lands. These communities mainly trace their routes to the original Pagoda by the Sea founded in St Augustine Florida in 1977. A product of the 1970s gay rights and women s liberation movements a group of women made their way to Florida to live together on a beach where no men were allowed. For 15 years the Pagoda had hundreds of female visitors but only a small core community of 12 cottages. In the 1990s some of these women including Emily Greene relocated to a mountaintop in rural Alabama. They formed a camp called Alapine Village which still exists today. According to their website the village is home to a diverse group of womyn who celebrate many spiritual paths pursue a variety of outdoor activities enjoy vegetarian and gluten-free to omnivorous diets . These days around 17 middle-aged women live and work the land together in an ecofriendly community-based and strictly man-free lesbian community. Bribri Costa Rica The Bribri are an indigenous people found in the Limon province of Costa Rica and northern Panama. Census data estimates that there could be anywhere between 12 000 and 35 000 members of the tribe but the effect of colonials and Western tourism has left many disenfranchised and unemployed. Only Bribri matriarchs are permitted to prepare the sacred cacao drink (AFP/Getty) Their society operates on a matrilineal line; women pass on land to their children and tradition and tribal lineage to their grandchildren. Each Bribri belongs to a clan which is determined by their mother. Only women are permitted to prepare the traditional cacao drink used in sacred rituals which gives them a certain spiritual superiority. Bribri legend has it that the cacao tree used to be a woman who was turned into a tree by the gods. Noemy Blanco Salazar a Bribri matriarch of Amubri Costa Rica told Courtney Parker that women are heirs of life . We have to assume this mission that Sibu (Bribri god) proudly entrusted with dignity. We must strive to build valuable ways of being for society. Mother Earth energy is the force that grows in our spirit. Umoja Kenya Umoja is an unusual example of a matriarchy where men are actually banned. A literal no-man s land the village in the grasslands of Samburu northern Kenya is home to survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violence. It is surrounded by a thorn fence to keep out all male visitors. The matriarch of Umoja Rebecca Lolosoli founded the village in 1990 with 15 survivors of rape at the hands of British soldiers. Lolosoli herself was recovering from an attack by a group of men as a punishment for spreading women s rights in her village. Umoja which means unity in Swahili has since provided refuge for women of the Samburu. They come from isolated and deeply patriarchal villages along the Rift valley fleeing forced marriages FGM domestic violence and sexual assault. They learn trades sell crafts teach children and show tourists around a cultural centre. They also work in the neighbouring villages to educate women on their rights. As of 2015 there were 47 women and 200 children living in Umoja. More about: long reads matriarchy matrilineal society Feminism International Women s Day Reuse content
Progress for some women can no longer come at the cost of continued exploitation and disempowerment for others writes Molly Harriss Olson: Hidden Figures star Octavia Spencer recounted a conversation with her friend and The Help co-star Jessica Chastain about pay inequality in which Spencer pointed out the colour pay gap. For every 77 cents a white woman makes a white man may earn a dollar but an African American woman will earn 64 cents and a Hispanic woman 56. So for an upcoming movie starring both women Chastain tied Spencer s pay to hers increasing Spencer s pay fivefold. It was a money-where-her-mouth-is-moment a profoundly tangible act where anger and frustration triumphed in action instead of fading away into our common humiliation and impotency Women who work as farmers or producers in developing countries will not benefit from black couture frocks at the Golden Globes or examinations of the pay gap in developed countries. They will not benefit from social media storms about the role of the feminist movement or definition of consent no matter how seismic their importance. But we can still make a tangible difference; we can still have our money-where-our-mouths-are moments. We all have the power to bring others with us on the path to equality | Molly Harris Olson Read more
The very first International Women s Day was observed in February 1909 in New York. The event has since then metamorphosed into an important celebration of women s achievements while still being a reminder of the struggle and challenges ahead. Marking International Women s Day 2018 Google Doodle has brought together 12 artists from 12 different countries to create a visual anthology that brings forth unheard stories of womanhood. Lydia Nichols and Alyssa Winans Doodlers and project leads on the IWD 2018 Project explained that they wanted to come up with a concept that would truly celebrate the stories and voices of another group of extraordinary women the everyday women living all over the world . An overview of the Google Doodle for International Women s Day 2018 To do so they reached out to 12 female artists of all backgrounds to share their personal stories in a series of visual narratives. Each story represents a moment person or event that has impacted their lives as women. While each artist tells a unique story the themes are universal reminding us of how much we often have in common. We hope that the combined power of words and images help bring these stories to life in a way that invokes feelings of understanding empathy and spirit of the day Nichols and Winans said in a statement. Nichols and Winans added that the project had been an incredible journey for them saying they d been moved by the candour intimacy and bravery of our contributors stories . Kaveri Gopalakrishnan an independent comics maker and illustrator from Bengaluru is one of the artists whose work has been featured in the International Women s Day 2018 Google Doodle. Her work is a comic about a young girl who reads books on her rooftop growing feathers with every page she reads until she finally takes flight. When the Google team sent in the brief which was Growth I had an immediate picture of a small creature growing into a large strong and mysterious being after feeding off books Gopalakrishnan told Firstpost. The Google Doodle project also issued an open call to all storytellers to share their own personal accounts of moment individuals or events that impacted their lives as women along with the hashtag #HerStoryOurStory. Here s a look at panels from each of the 12 artists stories: Anna Haifisch s Nov 1989 Chihiro Takeuchi s Ages and Stages Estelí Meza s My Aunt Blossoms Francesca Sanna s The Box Isuri s Aarthi the Amazing Karabo Poppy Moletsane s Ntsoaki s Victory Kaveri Gopalakrishnan s Up on the Roof From Love by Laerte From Philippa Rice s Trust From Homeland by Saffa Khan Minutes by Tillie Walden Tunalaya Dunn s Inwards Happy International Women s Day 2018!
On the occasion of International Women s Day celebrated each year on March 8 American company Mattel is honouring 17 female global role models with their own one-of-a-kind commemorative Barbies. These incredible and accomplished women include artists aviators athletes and filmmakers among others. The launch of the Barbie dolls the company says is to show girls that they can grow up to be anything. Girls have always been able to play out different roles and careers with Barbie and we are thrilled to shine a light on real life role models to remind them that they can be anything Lisa McKnight Senior Vice President and General Manager Barbie said in a press statement. With 86% of US moms worried about the type of role models their daughters are exposed to we are committed to shining a light on empowering female role models in an effort to inspire more girls.Join us by sharing your role models using #MoreRoleModels. #IWD2018pic.twitter.com/FnEuBsDh23 Barbie (@Barbie) March 6 2018The line up part of Mattel s Shero programme includes dolls of 14 modern-day role models and three historical role models from diverse professional and ethnic backgrounds. These women come from diverse backgrounds and fields and are breaking boundaries to inspire the next generation of girls. the company said.The special International Women s Day line-up includes director of Wonder Woman Patty Jenkins youngest snowboarding gold medallist Chloe Kim Australian conservationist Bindi Irwin and Italian soccer player Sara Gama.Many of those featured in the new line-up of inspirational dolls took to Twitter to express their joy. Can t express how totally mind blowing and delightful it is to have your childhood favorite resemble you!! Thank you @Barbie for this incredible honor and for celebrating all kinds of women everywhere. What a great way to inspire the girls of tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/X5FteJQltn Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) March 6 2018Ahh! Im so happy to be honored as a @Barbie Shero alongside these incredible women! #InternationalWomensDay#Barbiepic.twitter.com/U0J7ajM0Sd Chloe Kim (@chloekimsnow) March 6 2018Proud to partner with @Barbie this #InternationalWomensDay to show girls - YOU CAN BE ANYTHING!#Adpic.twitter.com/nMdT7jMK8L Nicola Adams (@NicolaAdamsOBE) March 6 2018The three historical dolls include Mexican artist Frida Kahlo American aviator Amelia Earhart and mathematician Katherine Johnson. The figurines will come with information about the personality and their contribution to the society.The company also called on people to share some of the women they look up to using the hashtag more role models . In honor of #InternationalWomensDay we are committed to shining a light on empowering female role models past and present in an effort to inspire more girls.Join the conversation by sharing your role models using #MoreRoleModels. pic.twitter.com/5oJnZywk7s Barbie (@Barbie) March 6 2018The tall skinny and blue-eyed blonde Barbie has had quite a makeover in recent years. Mattel as part of their Shero programme that began in 2015 has previously released Barbies inspired by achievers like US Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad - the first US Olympian to compete while wearing a hijab - as well as model and body activist Ashley Graham. Sheroes are given the Barbie brand s highest honor a one-of-a-kind doll made in their likeness in celebration of their roles in expanding the possibilities for girls everywhere the company said. CommentsClose X Who s your shero? Let us know in the comments below.If you want some more inspiration here are 15 quotes by women for International Women s DayClick for more trending news
NEW DELHI: On International Women s Day Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to talk about a 106-year-old woman who had inspired him and urged others to write about some women who inspire you. Kunwar Bai a resident of Chhattisgarh sold her goats - her sole source of livelihood - to build a toilet in her village. The toilet the first in the http://kkflipkart.withtank.com/ village was built in 15 days and cost Rs 22 000. Her contribution towards a Swachh Bharat can never be forgotten. I am deeply inspired by her noble gesture shared PM Modi. I will always cherish the time when I had the opportunity to seek Kunwar Bai s blessings during one of my visits to Chhattisgarh he added. Kunwar Bai passed away earlier this year but lives on in the hearts and minds of all those who are passionate towards fulfilling Bapu s dream of a clean India. PM Modi is expected to visit Rajasthan s Jhunjhunu today to mark the start of the National Nutrition Mission which seeks to reduce under-nutrition and low birth weight bring down anaemia among young children women and adolescent girls and to reduce the prevalence of stunting among children. The initiative will also mark the expansion of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao movement. Through their exemplary deeds several women have left an indelible mark in the history of humankind. They continue https://t.co/Hxg9fHMllm Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1520472435000 I will always cherish the time when I had the opportunity to seek Kunwar Bai s blessings during one of my visits to https://t.co/iZWSX4H07c Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1520472882000
No comments:
Post a Comment