1. Adolescent Psychology
Mosuo culture
Crystal Mendoza
Kristen Gomez
Kaitlin Burke
Georgia Huston
Adolescent Psychology
Dr. Sara Villanueva
2 December 2013

2. Introduction- Origins
Population: 40,000 people.
Lugu Lake in Southern China
Known as “The Kingdom of Women” - matriarchal community.
Tibetan Plateau
No standing army
Isolated

3. Mosuo Women- China

4. Physical Milestones of the Mosuan culture
Age of Sexual Autonomy
Age of puberty
Physical Maturity
(Most information is with a hetero couple)

5. Additional Biological Variables
Diet
Lifespan
Education
Isolation
Health

6. Gender Roles Walking Marriages— women have more power
Family Responsibilities—men have less responsibility
Children live in maternal household

7. Ceremony Life Ceremony occurs at 12-14-years-old
“Skirt Ceremony” for girls
“Pants Ceremony” for boys

8. Cognitive Domain Synaptic Pruning—”use it or lose it” principle
Agrarian society with emphasis on family-focused relationships
Gender roles vary significantly
Both girls and boys are taught to value, seek, and enjoy sexual activities
Women do majority of physical/manual labor

9. Language and Education
No written language—all history, culture, and religion passed down orally
Formal education system extremely underdeveloped
Clash of traditional rural/familial education with formal education
Very few students graduate from high school, few-to-none attend college

10. Belief Systems Tibetan Buddhism Daba Four Noble Truths
Presence of Suffering
Desire brings Suffering
Suffering can be ended through achieving Nirvana
Steps to Nirvana are known as the “Noble Eightfold Path”
Daba
“Original” religion of the Mosuo culture, has been largely replaced by Buddhism in recent history
Nature worship
Daba priests still called to perform special events

11. Closing Uniqueness of the Mosuo Culture
Walking Marriages/ Women as head of household
“Skirt” and “Pant” Ceremony to mark the age of adulthood
Variation/reversal of gender roles in the household
Western World vs. Mosou culture
Tourism in the area has recently boomed.
The modern is growing around the ancient.

12. References
Coming-of-age Ceremony. (2011, June 29). Retrieved November, 2013, from Lugu Lake, Mysterious Women's Kingdom website:
Gong, B., & Yang, C.-L. (2012, June). Gender differences in risk attitudes: Field experiments on the matrilineal Mosuo and the patriarchal Yi. In Gender Differences in Risk Aversion and Competition, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization.
Journeyman Pictures, & ABC Australia. (1995, October). Mosuo Women- China [Video file]. Retrieved from
Long-term and sustainable Projects for the Mosuo Minority. (2013). Retrieved November, 2013, from Hidden China website:
Mosuo: A mysterious matriarchal group in china. (2003). Retrieved November, 2013, from China Culture website: 05/11/content_47041.htm
The Mosuo Culture. (2006). Retrieved from Lugu Lake Mosuo Cultural Development Association website:
Mosuo of China. (n.d.). Retrieved from JoshuaProject website:
Shaitly, S. (2010, December 18). Is China's Mosuo tribe the world's last matriarchy? Retrieved November, 2013, from The Guardian website:
Stacey, J. (2009). Unhitching the Horse from the Carriage: Love and Marriage Among the Mosuo. Utah Law Review. Retrieved from e7da024f%40sessionmgr12&hid=6&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0Z Q%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=