The film describes their view on reproduction, where the fetus is already formed but the man initiates the completion of the fetus. They are not seen as the father, only a person that provides an “ingredient”. This eliminates the father role, since they are not a part of the child. The brother of the mother takes over the role of the father, providing clothing and gifts that could be considered a father’s role. They do not have a concept of the father, as shown when they ask the young boy about it. He could not give a definition for father other than what the outsiders had told him, and did not include the father when asked to draw the family. Although science has told us that the father provides half of the child’s DNA which disproves their view, it is still considered in the film, allowing for an emic perspective. They do not discredit this idea as being wrong, instead the narrator discusses how these people view reproduction. Discussing their beliefs of reproduction gives an idea on how they perceive reproduction differently than others. The lack of a father creates the matrilineal kinship pattern, or tracking the lineage through the females of the family. This further creates a female power structure, since the family depends on the mothers and their children. The family estate is discussed as being passed down from mother to daughter. If there is an older son and a …show more content…
The film talks about how this society takes on some ancient concepts, where the Chinese did not have such strict marriage regulations. Almost all of China has the modernized view of marriage, between one man and one woman as a bond for life. The culture of the people in the Mosuo Province, however, did not take the modern view on a relationship or on reproduction. Since the community is located in a mountainous region, they are separated from modern views. Now that access to other parts of China is becoming more accessible, there are some changes that are occurring. Television and radio are becoming more accessible, leading to new information becoming available. A school was developed in the area. New information and technology may lead to modernization of this group, causing some sort of change to tradition, may it be insignificant or large. The increased population of China leads to urbanization moving outwards. These people, like other cultures, may one day end up losing most of their tradition to the wave of modernization. This film helps to showcase this small society before modernization takes control of it, possibly changing it