The Mosaw Tribe: Matriarchy, Walking Marriage, and the Impact of Modern Tourism

The Mosaw tribe resides high in the mountains of the deepest Southwest China, located directly near the Tibetan border.
The primary body of water in this region is known as the Mother Sea, though the Chinese government refers to it as Lugu Lake.
The region is colloquially referred to as the Kingdom Of Daughters due to its unique social structure.
The Mosaw maintain a proud separation from the ethnic Chinese majority, preserving a way of life that is described as unique within the global community.
In this culture, women are the rulers of the society and the heads of households.

Families are led by a matriarch; for example, a woman named Jematsa serves as the matriarch of a family consisting of $7$ members.
Language and Concepts of Fatherhood:
- In the Mosaw language, there is no linguistic equivalent or word for "father."
- Jematsa inherited the family home directly from her mother, as property rights are handed down exclusively through the female line.
Living Arrangements:
- All children remain in their maternal home for their entire lives.
- This residence pattern persists even after children have reached adulthood and have children of their own.
- The matrilineal tradition is passed from mothers to daughters; Jematsu's daughters are expected to carry on this tradition after her.

The Mosaw people do not practice formal marriage in the Western or traditional Chinese sense.
Case Study of Soh Lam:
- Soh Lam is the eldest daughter of Jematsa.
- She has two children with a man she has referred to as her "friend" for the past $15$ years.
- Her children reside with her and her maternal family.
The Custom of Walking Marriage:
- The father of the children, following Mosaw tradition, continues to live with his own mother in his own maternal home.
- Every night, the man leaves his maternal home and walks up to the village to spend the evening with his partner.
- This arrangement is termed a "walking marriage."
Legal and Financial Implications:
- The culture recognizes no shared property between partners.
- There are no common finances involved in these relationships.
- The concept of child custody does not exist within their social framework.
- The Mosaw claim that these lack of shared obligations prevent disputes within the community.

Female Maturity:
- Achima, the younger sister of Soh Lam, represents the younger generation of Mosaw women.
- From the age of $13$ , girls wear a traditional skirt which signifies that they have come of age.
- Upon reaching this milestone, a girl is granted a room of her own, which allows her to receive men at her own pleasure and discretion.
Societal Value of Females:
- In contrast to some parts of rural China where female infanticide (girls killed at birth) has historically occurred, the Mosaw celebrate the birth of a girl.
- The transition from childhood to womanhood is considered a significant cause for communal celebration.

The survival of the Mosaw way of life was not historically guaranteed.
There was a specific decade during which the Chinese government was actively bent on wiping out the Mosaw traditions.
Following this decade of persecution, the Mosaw people immediately reverted to their traditional ways.
The current thriving state of the culture is utilized by the Chinese government as living proof of their alleged tolerance toward ethnic minorities.

There is a significant economic motivation for the government's benevolence toward the Mosaw, primarily centered on tourism.
Lugu Lake was closed to foreigners until approximately $2$ to $3$ years ago.
While Western tourists are beginning to arrive in small numbers, Chinese tourists are arriving in significant volume.
Statistical Impact:
- Approximately $27,000$ tourists visited the village—which has a base population of only $800$ people—within a single year.
The government's tourist propaganda characterizes the Mosaw as "living fossils" put on display for cultural curiosity.
Tourism is rapidly transforming the local economy, which was once one of the poorest regions in China.

Economic Disparities in Earnings:
- Jematsu's grandson can now earn as much in a single day by taking tourists for rides on the family horse as his mother earns in an entire week.
- Achima supplements the family income by taking visitors boating on the lake.
The traditional Mosaw costume is now utilized primarily as a uniform for the tourist trade.
Economic Distribution:
- Following Mosaw fashion, the effort and the financial proceeds from the tourist trade are shared among the residents of the village.
Arjee owns and operates the village store and a billiard room within her family home.
- She charges $10\text{ cents}$ per game of billiards.
- Only men play billiards, as the women are consumed with labor and have too much work to do.
- Arjee notes that people now earn $10$ times more than they did before the influx of outsiders.

The arrival of the outside world is gradually eroding traditional Mosaw ways.
Internal Dissent:
- Aje's daughter has explicitly rejected the custom of walking marriage.
- She argues that the social system keeps women tied to the home and manual labor.
Educational and Power Imbalances:
- Girls are typically kept at home to assist with chores and communal work.
- Boys, having fewer domestic responsibilities, are more likely to be sent to school for formal education.
- Shuai Zhang suggests that despite the matriarchal surface, "real power" actually resides in the hands of men.
The Lure of the Outside World:
- Young people are beginning to migrate away from the village.
- Girls leave to avoid a life of manual labor, while boys leave to seek financial fortunes elsewhere.

The authorities, who previously attempted to stamp out the culture, are now attempting to preserve it for commercial purposes.
Compulsory Traditions:
- The Mosaw costume is now compulsory for any villager working in the tourist industry.
- Workers are fined if they fail to wear the traditional attire.
Commercial Development:
- A large new development zone is being constructed across the lake.
- The goal is to keep the original Mosaw village as a "showpiece" for tourists.
- The village serves as a backdrop for nightly performances featuring Mosaw music mixed with Chinese propaganda songs.

Historically, the Mosaw way of life was preserved by extreme isolation and poverty.
Current Technological Shifts:
- Modernity has entered the community's "cocoon."
- Electricity has recently been installed in the village.
- There are plans for the installation of running water in the near future.
Conclusion on Resilience:
- The Mosaw are no longer a people "suspended in time."
- The $20\text{th}$ century and global influences have finally integrated with their society.
- The narrative suggests that the tribe will require extreme resilience to survive this modern transition more than any previous historical challenge.