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Mosuo people live around Lugu Lake nearly 2,700 meters above sea level. The lake is completely surrounded by mountains, with Yunnan Province to the west and Sichuan Province to the east.

Although the size of a Mosuo family varies, it usually consists of around 10 people. While some families may comprise as many as 20 or 30 members, every family is always led by a female. The head is the most capable woman in the family and is highly respected by other members. She has both an honorary status and important responsibilities since everyone counts on her to make decisions in handling family affairs.

The Mosuo people are having a festival

The stone represents the entire family ancestry. It is believed that souls of past generations live in it and that the fire must stay lit all year round to keep them warm. An extinguished flame means that the family is declining. It is only when the flame is burning that the family can prosper.

The grandmother's room also contains a big piece of fatty meat symbolizing the wealth of the family. After a pig is butchered and its viscera and bones are removed, the Mosuo people add Chinese prickly ash and salt to its insides. Then they stitch up the skin and dry it in a clean and shady place. They usually have to wait three to five years before the meat can be eaten. For the Mosuo, a steady supply of meat symbolizes a healthy hearty appetite for both food and money.

Apart from the grandmother's room is a special two-storied building -- the most beautiful and cleanest one in the courtyard -- for storing and chanting Buddhist scriptures.

 Religion and Belief

Mosuo people believe in naturism and they regard children as the sacred reincarnations of their ancestors.

The Mosuo believe that their ancestors, who are held in good memory, will come back to life as little children. At his or her adult ceremony, a child is given a name from a deceased relative to become a full member of the clan. This is especially important for girls. Following the ceremony the girl is given a woman's costume and, from that point on, she is perceived as one of her deceased elders. When an old woman dies, the initiation costume of a 13-year-old girl, together with food and drink, is laid close to her coffin. According to a Mosuo saying: "She will come back as a young girl."

The ancient religion of the Mosuo focuses on their belief in the divinity of Nature. This is most directly expressed through the veneration of Gemu, the sacred mountain, which is regarded as the Goddess of Love, and Shinami, the sacred lake, perceived as the Mother Goddess. For the Mosuo, Nature is female.

As a source of spiritual guidance, this religion is deeply rooted in the daily lives of the Mosuo people, who believe that their sacred gods have protected them in the past and will protect them in the future.

 Axia Marriage and the Matriarchal Family

There are three kinds of marriage patterns among the Mosuo people: the traditional Axia system (visiting marriage), Axia cohabitation and monogamy.

Monogamy only exists among urban Mosuo people and other Mosuo villages inhabited by many ethnic groups. People around Lugu Lake and the Yongning area still widely practice the Axia marriage.

A Mosuo wedding ceremony

The traditional Axia system is marriage-free. Mosuo men call their beloved women Axia ("intimate companion") and women call their lovers Azhu. They are not bound by marriage and will live in their mothers' homes all their lives. Every adult Mosuo girl has a special Azhu house of her own where her lover can visit during the night but must leave early the next morning. If the girl wishes to stop the love affair she simply closes the door and then the man will not return. The lovers have no economic or legal ties: Their relationship is based only on mutual love and affection, where the will of the female is highly respected. If children are born into the family, they belong exclusively to the mother's side and inherit her surname. They are raised with their mother and uncles and are not introduced to their father until their adult ceremony.

The matriarchal family has the following advantages:

A Mosuo couple

 Adult Ceremony

When Mosuo children reach 13 years of age they go through a special adult ceremony.

According to Mosuo legend, in ancient times mankind and animals living in the area never died. As time passed, the number of men and animals became so great that there wasn't enough space for them. As a result, a god decided that there should be an age limit for everyone and everything. He then told all of mankind and the animals to listen to his judgment, which would determine how long each of them had to live.

One night, the god shouted, "1,000 years," which was only heard by wild geese; then he cried out, "100 years", which only the ducks heard; and when he said "60 years", only dogs responded by barking. But only when he uttered "13 years" did mankind awake from their dreams. But they were unhappy with the brevity of their lives and pleaded with the god to give them more time. Having agreed to this, he discussed it with the dogs to see if they would swap their lifespan with mankind. The dogs reluctantly agreed on the condition that mankind would provide them with food. To mark this turning point in man's life, the Mosuo people regard 13 years of age as the beginning of a new life.

When Mosuo children reach 13 years of age, they go through a special adult ceremony where they become adults. The ceremony is always held on New Year's Day. On this special morning, the mother helps her girls put on beautiful new dresses and jewels while the uncle helps the boys put on their new clothes and waist knives. During the ceremony, girls stand on the right side of the campfire while the boys stand on the left. They put one foot on a piece of pig's fat and the other on a bag of rice (symbols for a rich life). Then they bow to the elders, each of whom gives them a gift. At last, the bada (shaman) will drink a toast to the children. Then the bada says: "Today is a good day. The sun is nice, the moon is nice, the stars are nice, and everything is nice. You put on the skirts/trousers, may you living a long life and having plenty of food and clothing ..."

After the ceremony, the boys and girls are permitted to attend all adult activities. After 15 years they can meet their lovers.

 Cremation of the Mosuo

Mosuo tribe funerals are unique since their rituals and ceremonies are a product of their primitive religions and Lamaism (Yellow Hat Lamaism -- largest sect of Tibetan Lamaism).

Once a member of a group dies, the corpse is first cleansed by a member of the family and a Lama priest. Afterwards, a male body is cleaned again with nine cups of liquor; seven cups are used to clean a female corpse. The body is then bound using hemp and the deceased's hands are placed on his or her chest. A male's left hand is positioned to rest on top and the left leg is crossed over the right one. A female's right leg is crossed over the left one. A hole is dug in the yard of the deceased's home and the body is put into the hole in a white cloth; it is then covered with a big cooker. Above the cooker lies a bamboo basket with the deceased's clothing. Before the hole is a table filled with food. Traditionally, the body will remain there for one night or for up to 20 days, after which there will be a cremation ceremony called "Ji zang ". During "Ji zang ", a 1-meter square coffin is made using the wood of a felled tree. At the site specially prepared for the rite, four stakes are driven into the ground with room for the coffin in between them. One day prior to the cremation, a priest will select the time and site, including a miniature house constructed for the remaining bones and ashes of the cremated body.

On the day of cremation, at dawn, three gunshots are fired into the air; the body is wrapped in a white cloth is placed inside the coffin to be transported out of the village to the cremation site. Family, relatives and neighbors are all dressed in mourning clothes. Males wear a white hat made of flax and females plait their hair with flax. They mourners cry all the way to the cremation site. On arrival the coffin is set alight, which is conducted by the priest. After the fire is lit, a flax hat and clothing, including the deceased's clothes, are thrown into the fire.

Finally, family and relatives bow and bid their final farewell.

At this point, the cremation rite comes to an end. Only those who died of natural causes can be cremated; the others cannot be buried in "Grave Mountain".

 Unique Dietetic Style

Like many other minorities, Mosuo people also enjoy a unique dietetic style.

The Mosuo people have rice and corn as their staple food, together with highland barley and yams. In the summer and autumn, they like to eat fresh vegetables, such as greens, radishes, etc. In the winter and spring, they enjoy pickles, dried turnips, kippers and preserved hams. They also make "guan zhu jiao"(pig's feet), sausage and "mi guan chang"(sausage with rice). Before a formal meal, the Mosuo people like to drink butter tea. They are also very fond of "su li ma ji u "(a corn spirit).

There are about 10-20 people on average in a Mosuo family home, where everyone shares the food. While they share the staple foods, vegetables are distributed according to everybody's appetite. When having meat or rare dishes, a ration is reserved for those not present. When handing out dishes, Mosuo people serve the elders first and then the young as a sign of respect. The only exception occurs on New Year's Eve when women put plenty of delicious foods around the fire pit. Then, the entire family sits around the fire and helps themselves.

One of their most typical Mosuo foods is zhu piao rou (pig fat). The Mosuo like this particular dish because pig fat symbolizes riches and affluence. They remove all of the bones from a whole pig, except the skull, and then add all kinds of seasonings. Then, they sew it into the shape of a lute. The dish is prepared in winter and can keep for several years. The meat has a pleasant aroma and is said to taste better than ham because it is fatty but not greasy. When preserved for a longer time, it can also be used as medicine.

 Increased Contact with Outside

The Mosuo people have their own language but no written characters. To protect the culture of the Mosuo people, all Mosuo schools are bilingual, teaching children both standard Chinese and the Mosuo language.

The Mosuo people used to be very isolated, with no roads leading to the outside world. Since then, however, roads have been built to connect villages nestled deep in the mountains to other parts of the country, as well as to open doors to outside visitors. The lives of the Mosuo people have changed significantly since their increased contact with outside world.