Dear friends:
Every so often your ever inquisitive reporter runs across an article that
bears repeating and this is one of them.
"WHAT IF WOMEN WERE IN CHARGE?
What if Western perceptions of matriarchal societies are all wrong? What if
they weren’t about pursuing dominance over men? And what if their structures
inspired all societies to achieve true gender equality?
German philosopher and researcher Heide Goettner-Abendroth has dedicated
her life to answering these questions and talked about what she has learned.
Her seminal book, “Matriarchal Societies: Studies on Indigenous Cultures
Across the Globe” — which made its debut in Germany in 2010, in the English-speaking
world in 2012 and this year in France — offers an unprecedented, comprehensive
account of matriarchal societies. It draws on decades of research to blend
theory with fieldwork and shed light on a topic widely ignored by ethnologists.
Matriarchal societies predate patriarchy, says Groettner-Abendroth, who
founded the International Academy HAGIA for Modern Matriarchal Studies, an
association that focuses on matriarchal societies, mythology, medicine and
spirituality. She created the academy after she became fed up with the
male-dominated power structures at conventional institutions, and she has no
problem saying her approach centers women.
Goettner-Abendroth discusses the local communities she has studied — from
China to Africa, from Indonesia to North America — that are all either complete
or nearly complete forms of matriarchy. This means that they are either
matrilineal, whereby lineage is traced through the mother, or matrilocal, in
the sense that new couples go to live with the young woman’s community. Some of
them have abandoned these fundamental pillars but still practice rituals and
impart values that draw direct inspiration from their matriarchal origins.
HuffPost France talked to Goettner-Abendroth about her research, the
philosophical roots that underpin these societies, and what it means to live
somewhere where respecting women is not optional.
In your view, what is the founding principle of each of these matriarchal
societies?
It is the power to give life. If women do not give life, the society dies
out. In our societies, this power is not considered very valuable. Women are
left to their own devices and have to tackle maternity alone. They are not
respected. Matriarchal societies are anchored in maternity. An abandoned child
or woman is unheard of within them.
In the Minangkabau culture in Indonesia, everyone is a mother. Men
distinguish themselves when they behave properly toward children; they are
praised for being “good mothers.”
What values do these societies represent?
They are egalitarian, considerate and nurturing, in the sense that taking
care of others and their well-being is self-evident. In the Khasi culture in
India, the clan mother ― the chief of the village ― is chosen according to her
ability to help her people.
Everyone is respected, regardless of their age or sex. They take care of
the elderly until their death. There are no hierarchies among people. Decisions
are made by consensus, unanimously. They conduct a sharing economy and condemn
the concept of accumulation.
In these societies, do women abuse their power at men’s expense?
No. They do not consider it power as such, but responsibilities they are
obligated to assume. They do often have control of the purse strings, not to
keep the money for themselves, but to distribute it fairly and to ensure that
the clan will never lack the things it needs.
Their societies are organized in such a way that the idea of domination
simply doesn’t exist. These societies are largely peaceful, but they do know
how to use weapons to defend themselves — for example, in the indigenous
communities in the Amazon and North America. It’s not that they are better than
us, but the way their societies are structured facilitates a state of peace.
Does prostitution exist in matriarchal societies?
No! Not in the least. The same is true for rape. Women, their sexuality and
their power to give birth are respected. No man would dare touch a woman
against her will. The clan system protects each woman.
Which in turn influences parenthood.
Absolutely. Women have several partners over the course of their lives, so
when they do have children, it is not their biological fathers who take care of
them, but rather the brothers of the women. Men become the fathers of their
nephews and nieces. Of course, if a man requests to play a more significant
role in the life of his biological child, the clan will implement a system that
grants him that role. But it’s the mother’s bloodline that counts.
You classify the Tuaregs as a matriarchal society, but women are the
keepers of the familial tent, while men spend their days outside. Isn’t this
just yet another variant of the patriarchy?
Not at all. The Tuareg women maintain control of the family finances.
Everything men earn outside is brought back to the tent. The oldest woman divides
and shares the money in equal parts. She is the holder of the clan’s fortune.
She is the one who safeguards it, because she represents security, a guarantee.
She does not own the house. Tuareg men attest that they give the money to the
women because they are the givers of life and doing so secures their future.
What issues do matriarchal societies address?
First of all, these societies have the advantage of reconciling every type
of feminism. We are dealing with too many diverging perspectives, which are
obscuring the movement’s initial objective. Today, matriarchal societies can
help us adjust our point of view, especially regarding women’s pleasure. We can
use them to create a new narrative, one that frees us of the burden of guilt.
Western feminism does not view male-female relations in their entirety. It
only takes into account the women’s viewpoint, but this is a paradigm that
leads us nowhere. We have to go further and propose solutions that are more in
line with the foundations of matriarchal societies.
Then, we need to push ourselves out of the current era, which I call the
“super patriarchy.” It is a mix of neoliberalism, militarism and commercial
exploitation of nature. It’s a path bound for self-destruction. Since the
“super patriarchy” is incapable of putting a stop to itself, it’s up to us to
turn toward alternatives, led by radical feminists, indigenous peoples and
supporters of the sharing economy. There are so many of us who no longer want
this world we’ve created, so if we band together to form a community, we can
try to create a different experience.
