The Women's Kingdom: The Amazing Mosuo Culture

The Women's Kingdom: The Amazing Mosuo Culture
There is a hidden place in the Himalayas, near Tibet in southwest China, where women have decided to never marry, but rather have children and be responsible parents ... that is the culture of the Mosuo people.



Mosuo is a recently discovered matriarchal culture thanks to Canadian John Lombard, one of the founders of the Mosuo Cultural Development Association; an organization that aims to finance various projects to preserve this ethnic group and its interesting culture. They assist with both material and cultural objects while respecting the decisions made by the Mosuo people.

The culture of the ethnic group Mosuo
Mosuo is an ethnic minority group living near the border with Tibet. They have a distinct culture that differs from the rest of the world and, most importantly, their way of life makes them really happy.

In the Mosuo culture, marriage does not exist. Women choose to remain singles throughout their lives and stay home with their parents to raise their children. They decide when and with whom they want sexual relations, and the male partner, with the woman's consent of course, shows up at night by climbing through the window to spend the night with the woman while everyone else in the house sleeps. From this love, their children are born and this type of union is called "walking marriage". They never live together or are legally married.

But ... how can a Mosuo man know when it's okay to climb in through a woman's window?
It all starts with dances or popular events. If a Mosuo woman likes a man, she will tickle him with the index finger on the palm and he will give her his belt. If she is interested, she will hang her belt in her window to indicate that he is invited to spend the night with her. On other occasions they talk about it right away.

Contrary to what one might think, the Mosuo people are not promiscuous: they simply have the freedom to understand that their partners are not always on their side, even though some of these "wandering marriages" are maintained for years or even decades. .

Mosuo-kids
The children live with their mother in the family home where their parents, grandparents and grandchildren also live. The men sleep in common spaces and women in private rooms to control intimate relationships. Sexual relations only occur in the women's rooms and very discreet, although it can be flirted during the day with gestures, such as holding each other's hands.

Although it is not a common occurrence, the father can be there for the children if he wants. He must then be present at home and leave the woman with gifts. If she accepts this, he will become part of the family as an "honorary member" with the right to visit his child and stay there as long as he wants. In the Mosuo culture, the men are responsible for the children of sisters, aunts and nephews, which is a role they have to play with great responsibility.

Another interesting aspect of this culture is that children are educated from a very young age to no expectation of finding an ideal partner for life. It is a good way to avoid future disappointments. In fact, when a Mosuo couple decides to separate, there are no conflicts, no emotional impact on the child, or discussions on the distribution of common property because there have never been any.

Despite what may seem strange to us from the outside, it is a culture that has worked in this way for many years, although some of those who choose to emigrate to the cities to seek work choose to enter into conventional western marriages. And we have no way of knowing how the Mosuo culture would work outside its secret place in the Himalayas…

What do you think?