Nov 9, 2009

The Mosuo: Where marriage is not known

The Mosuo are a tribal people that live in the northeastern chineses privince of Yunnan. Unlike most other societies, the Mosuo are organized in a matriachal system, with women being more powerful than men. Lets have a closer look!
Traditionally, Mosuo women are leading the extended family, with one of them being chosen as the head of it. They are responsible for the organization of work, financial affairs and relationships with other families and public authorities. Grandmothers, mothers and daughters can inhibit the same house, with uncles, brothers and sons being happily accepted. All the family sleeps together in the living room, except for the grown up women, that enjoy the luxury of private rooms on the first floor.
With the age of 13, boys and girls are considered adult, an event that is celebrated in the tribal community. If a child dies before this age, it will not get a traditional funeral.
Marriage is now practiced among the Mosuo and sexual relationships are practiced freely. This means, that when a woman and a man are attracted to each other, they will be dating and the man can come to the woman's private room in the evening, but has to leave from there before morning. Relationships can last very long and even for the entire life, but the friend of the woman will never be part of her family. Instead, he will stay with his parents and other relatives, as well as the children of his sisters and nieces. Even if the woman he is in a relationship with has children, he will never be their father, instead, they will be raised by her and her brothers and nephews. Relationships are monogamous and might well last for years or decades.
The result of this setting, where a person never leaves the family he or she is born into, are very stable family structures. There are no divorces, no struggle over inheritances or child custody and all children will be cared for by the extended family. In the 1970s, the chinese government forced the Mosuo couples to marry - with the result that all of them divorced a few weeks later and returned to their traditional way of life.
Quite interesting setting I think - and seems to work out. Never heard of a society where marriage is not known before...

--- by Nils ---