Chopsticks Only Work in Pairs

Yesterday I called my temp agency to see if I can resume working for them (I don't start teaching until the end of this month...in the meantime, things are getting pretty tedious). During my moments of boredom I have resorted to re-reading my old anthropology books. I had forgotten how good some of them were, like Chopsticks Only Work in Pairs by Shanshan Du. In this book, the author details the ethnographic fieldwork she did among the Lahu people of Southwestern China. What’s really interesting about this culture is that it’s one of the most gender egalitarian societies I’ve ever read about. The Lahus’ emphasis on equality and unity between the genders seems to stem from their fundamental cosmological/ideological beliefs. In other words, their creation myths, traditions, ceremonies, etc. are all filled with this idea of the “dyad,” or pair. A lot of cultures have pair symbolism, but not like the Lahu. Example: mythology. In Greek mythology, the Zeus/Hera dyad really represents a pair of opposites—Hera is an unstable, emotional being, constantly creating problems for Zeus to fix. The Lahu god, Xeul Sha, is a pair of cross-sex twins who are essentially one being, of “one mind and one purpose.” The two came into existence simultaneously, and, although they can almost certainly be identified as male and female, their sexual identities are often disguised or minimized. Even the language that is used to describe them is very “egalitarian.” That is to say, synonyms describe their tasks, which are also very equal and complementary. For example, in one origin myth, “Xeul Yad had an idea / Sha Yad had a plan, Xeul Yad wanted to make a flower in the sky / Sha Yad intended to create a flower on the earth, The sky flower of Xeul Yad was the sun in the sky / The earth flower of Sha Yad was the moon in the sky…” The concept of a single, supreme god, who is at the same time a joint entity composed of equal male and female counterparts, elicits a certain paradigm that the Lahu employ in their daily interactions with one another.

Many aspects of the Lahu culture reminded me of my own religious values, namely the sacred nature of marriage and family. Most cultures have rites of passage that emphasize the differences between men and women, separating and dividing the genders. For the Lahu, however, marriage is a joint rite of passage to adulthood. Furthermore, the marriage union extends into the afterlife! I thought this was so cool.

Okay, I feel like I’m writing an anthropology paper again! Sorry if this is boring, but I just gotta share the part I read on pregnancy (something which I take particular interest in at this stage of my life).

The sexual differences between men and women obviously provide for a certain division of roles (i.e. men can’t breastfeed), but the division is often downplayed and the roles aren’t given any sort of value differentiation (i.e. working outside of the home is not seen as more special than domestic labor—this is one thing that is so messed up about Western feminism!!!). So anyway, pregnancy is a thing equally shared by men and women. Traditionally, it is thought that Only Man (the equivalent of “Adam”) gave birth. He carried the fetuses in his calves, but was unable to walk or work. Only Woman, (“Eve”), suggested that she carry the fetuses in her belly. This would facilitate greater work capacity. Consequently, pregnancy and childbirth are now women’s tasks, but men still share great responsibility. During pregnancy itself, a husband delivers the baby and helps nurse his wife back to full strength. As the child grows and develops, men and women share joint roles in its care, as either gender will take over when the other is busy with other tasks. There’s a cute picture in the book of a man going out hunting while carrying a baby in a sling.

There are some tasks other than pregnancy which are slightly divided, such as heavy work (which is usually done by men due to their elevated physical capacity). However, some villagers recognize that certain women are stronger than their husbands, and they are the ones charged with heavy labor. Gender has nothing to do with these divisions.

Anyway, in conclusion, I really recommend this book. I'm glad I didn't sell it back after my class was finished!