The Ladies of the Lake - 43 minute documentary - trailer

Watch the full film here: http://vod.journeyman.tv/s/The+Ladies+of+the+Lake

The bashful Mosuo have been dominated by women for more than 2,000 years. In the Mosuo language, the word 'father' does not even exist. Yashima is a typical matriarch. At 65, she has five children, two grandchildren and smokes 80 cigarettes a day. Her children meet their husbands at the end of the day. 'That way we don't argue' explains Dizhi. Parties are for meeting a husband or a wife. Swirling skirts, flames and dancing stir aching hearts. The Mosuo people, like most Chinese, are shy about showing their feelings. They have three sacred taboos: it's forbidden to eat dog, it's forbidden to eat cat and it's forbidden to talk about sex. But overcoming their shyness, they tell us about love, marriage, divorce and the difficulties of living apart. The modern world is not far away though. Peking's family planning policy is dismembering Mosuo culture where large families are society's glue. The local government wants to transform Lake Lugu, in China, into a tourist site, with the Mosuo people as the main attraction. Some already earn money from the summer visitors that they take in canoe trips on the lake. Whilst most Mosuo view change as inevitable, there's more than a hint of sadness that the future may spell the end of their centuries-old traditions. A unique and touching film.

For more information, or to buy the DVD, visit: http://www.journeyman.tv/9974/documentaries/the-ladies-of-the-lake.html

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Mosuo
• women
• rural
• community
• ancient
• family
• hidden
• China
• Lake
• Lugu
• news
• documentary
• current affairs
• Journeyman
• Pictures
• journeyman pictures

[TMLAPAN]

We need to end the gender battle, it's insane. Just kind in mind if you're somehow reborn you could be a woman, or man, meaning would you want to be the gender that was a slave? Woman, and men have the power to end this. Obviously woman have advantages, and men have theirs, we must celebrate our differences, and embrace our fem side for some things.

[Discordia5]

I dunno, TMLAPAN, these people seem quite happy. I think men are well taken care of here. It's more about paying respect to the role of the mother and taking full advantage of the busy/anxious way women typically want to take care of their family (in my mind.)

[Discordia5]

@GadGades What's sexist about them, specifically? Yes, they have gender roles, but I don't see them as harmful or sexist.

[GadGades]

@DAREDARVIL The unique thing here isn't even the matriachy here but the fact that children don't leave the household. Meaning families don't splinter(or create new lines) and it doesn't matter if anyone has a child out of wedlock because it's just made into another sibling. But that takes away some individual freedoms and such a system goes against our culture of individualism. The main thing is that they don't have the burden of establishing and supporting a new family

[GadGades]

@DAREDARVIL My how the hell do you know was directed at your assumption that no man there hates women(which you'd understand by what I wrote after that. You're making things out to be some sort of paradise when that's ridiculous. I added that they don't live together because you can't really have domestic violence when there is no living together, though technically a fight between siblings.

[DAREDARVIL]

@Discordia5 : That is correct - they are happy in a way we have not known in centuries! Natural order for them just flows naturally, everything else falls into place the way it should with out all the social problems we have in western societies

[DAREDARVIL]

@GadGades- how do I know? it's called research by a world renowned anthropologist - google "Indonesia's matriarchal Minangkabau offer an alternative social system" studying anthropology also means the culture is in "danger" - and the danger is westernization aka patriarchy with all its inherent problems... as for living together... the arrangement sounds perfect - who says you have to be joined at the hip? that is the problem - too much in our space - no room to breathe

[GadGades]

@DAREDARVIL I feel I should make a statement about the nature of crime. Crime happens out of desperation for a need. Women can easily get sex, so that would rarely be a problem for them. Again, this isn't because of a special nature, people wouldn't fight over an abundant resource. Physically weak men aren't likely to get into fights they know they won't win. Nor are men or even animals that violent within communities This isn't excusing crime this is about understanding human/animal nature

[GadGades]

@TMLAPAN You don't want matriarchy at all. What modern society has done is make it about systems. So while there may not be equality overall, It isn't about gender, or race. That is what society is working towards. For people to want to backtrack is so insane to me.

[GadGades]

@Discordia5 Sexism is sexism.

[GadGades]

@DAREDARVIL how the hell do you know? Some people might be bitter, that would lead to misogyny. As far as misandry, look at those sexist comments by that old lady, "men can't do anything blah blah blah". As far as violence, it's not that women have some special nature, it's when people think they can get away with it either because they completely dominate a person or because they expect people to abide by laws, or be too humiliating. They also don't live together apparently so

[DAREDARVIL]

the film co describes this as dominance, but infact is is not. It is simply a balanced society with out misogyny or violence- spousal abuse is completely absent in this society