Leaving Mother Lake

Description

The haunting memoir of a girl growing up in the Moso country in the Himalayas--a unique matrilineal society. But even in this land of women, familial tension is eternal. Namu is a strong-willed daughter, and conflicts between her and her rebellious mother lead her to break the taboo that holds the Moso world together--she leaves her mother's house.

Description

"In the remote Himalayas, on the shores of magnificent Lake Lugu, there is a place the Chinese call "the Country of Daughters." This is the home of the Moso, a remarkable society in which women rule men. In the Moso tradition, marriage is considered a backward practice, and property is passed from mother to daughter. Every household has a matriarch who oversees the family's customs, rituals, and economics. Daughters are prized above sons, and both live their entire lives in the house where they were born.". "In the extraordinary story of Yang Erche Namu, life among the Moso is revealed for the first time in fascinating, intimate detail. Leaving Mother Lake is the story of one girl's coming-of-age in a world of women. From Namu we learn of a young girl's "skirt ceremony," of how courtship is conducted through dance and song, and of the private "flower chambers" where young women consort with their lovers. Despite the freedoms Namu enjoys, they aren't the freedoms she desires. Her impulsive, restless nature drives her to leave her mother's house, defying the tradition that holds Moso culture together. She learns she must venture out into the larger world to see better the one she leaves behind."--BOOK JACKET.

Subjects

Genres

• Biography

Other Editions

• Leaving Mother Lake: a girlhood at the edge of the worldLittle, Brown2003-01-01
• Leaving Mother LakeHardcoverLittle, Brown and Company2003-03-01
• Leaving Mother LakeElectronic resourceLittle, Brown and Company2007-01-01