The Mosuo Tribe

Lugu Lake

The Mosuo is an ancient tribe living in the Southwest of China, at the foot of the Himalayas. They are mostly located in the province of Yunnan and Sichuan, near the border with Tibet and around the paradisiacal Lugu Lake. This area has been unattainable for a long time and has only been put on the map since 1956. Until 1982 it was only possible to reach the Mosuo on horseback or by foot.

Ah mi

The matriarch, or Ah mi, which means elderly women, has absolute power and decides for all the people living under her roof. She determines the activities of the family members and is in charge of the finances. When the matriarch passes on her tasks and role to the next generation, she will pass the keys of the household storage on to her female successor as a symbolic transfer of ownership rights and responsibilities.

Walking Marriages

The Mosuo are known for their walking marriages, which are often misunderstood. Men and women don’t live together as partners, but a woman allows a man to stay for the night, after which he has to return to his own home in the morning. The woman is free to spend her nights with whoever she likes. But in contrast to what the world believes about the Mosuo, there is definitely a relationship between a Mosuo man and woman before the woman accepts him as her bed partner. Traditionally, the man expresses his love for the woman by signing love songs, which is said to be brought as a serenade under the window of her bedroom. It is up to the woman to invite the man into her room, who will walk to her room in the dark of night, because such pairings were generally conducted in secret.