The Matriarchy Episode

MASKulinity Podcast

What’s a matriarchy? Documentarian Izzy Chan puts us up on game about what matriarchies actually are and what they’re like, and reveals surprising facts about women-led societies.

• Remoy takes the mic this week to explore this system that is often viewed as a patriarchy with women in charge. Matriarchy, however, is far from that.
• Remoy makes the important note, which bears repeating, that most sources used to write this episode have the same patriarchal lens that we are trying to unMASK. We must always bear this in mind.
• Izzy talks us through the buzz words that describe women-led societies—what’s matrilineal versus matrilocal versus matriarchal? Listen to find out!
  • But there’s a reason why Izzy only uses one of these terms, though. She shares her experience creating her documentary Matriarch and the feedback she’s gotten.
• Izzy dispels the one-to-one comparison between patriarchy and matriarchy using facts from the societies she’s exploring in Matriarch.
  • What role do men play in a matriarchy?
  • Izzy fascinates Remoy and Samantha with the way men leaders (and husbands) are picked in the matriarchies she’s documenting.
  • Roles were respected in a different way in matriarchies, a way that didn’t require oppression or exploitation. So much to learn from this system…
• Why don’t we hear that much about matriarchies? Besides separate efforts to undermine their existence and legitimacy, many of them have been overtaken by patriarchal settlers.
• Remoy talks us through a couple matriarchies from different corners of the world.
  • First the Bijagos. Folks living in the Guinea Bissau archipelago were a matriarchy run by clan mothers. But this wasn’t just patriarchy with women at the top. Listen to find out how the Bijagos ran their community.
  • Then he comes to the Western hemisphere to present the Haudenosaunee, an indigenous group based in what is now Canada. Also a matriarchal and matrilineal community with mixed leadership, the Haudenosaunee is a longstanding group with community as one of its core values.
  • Is it true that in some societies, women propose to men? Get ready to hear more excitement from Remoy than you’ve heard all year.
• Izzy paints a picture of the matriarchies and what it looks like to include all genders in leadership. She makes an important point about gender roles in matriarchies, which she credits to her advisor on Matriarch, a member of the Haudenosaunee tribe.
• Why are there so many matriarchies that no longer exist? Look no further than Western settler culture and colonialism. Guess how they proceeded?
• Quiz yourself on matriarchies with all the buzz words we give you this episode!
  • Hoyaneh
  • Orebok
  • Clan mother
  • Datuk
• Remoy gets just five questions to ask Izzy about matriarchy and gender.
  • Izzy shines more light on one of patriarchy’s running theme: control.
    • Is it still a problem in matriarchy? We’ll let you take a wild guess.
  • She shares the most surprising things about matriarchy and checks all of us on the language that we use when talking about community.
  • Izzy implores us to ask “Right for whom?!” when it comes to gender roles in any system.
  • Izzy shares why it’s important to study and document matriarchies. What can we learn from them?
• Would you move to a matriarchy for a year? Why or not?? Let us know!

Referenced in this episode:

• The first look at Matriarch, Izzy Chan’s upcoming documentary on matriarchal societies:
  • Indonesia’s Minangkabau
  • Khasis: India's indigenous matrilineal society
  • In Sahara Desert's Tuareg Tribe, Islamic Women Rule The Roost
  • A look at the Mosuo
• Information about the Haudenosaunee from the Haudenosaunee
• Some history on the Bijagos

COMPANION PIECES:

• We talked about community with Jeremy Herte of Let’s Talk Bruh and started exploring patriarchy vs matriarchy in Let’s Talk MASKulinity, Bruh

Learn more

about matriarchies!