[Glorantha] Re: Matrinineal societies, Esrolia and Minangkabau inspiration

glorantha-request_at_rpglist.org wrote:
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 01:43:32 +0100
> From: Orlanth Umathi <orlanth.umathi_at_blueyonder.co.uk>
> Subject: [Glorantha] Matriarchy: matrilineal real world example
> To: Greg Stafford's world of Glorantha <glorantha_at_rpglist.org>
> Message-ID: <44ADAE34.2050302@blueyonder.co.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>
> An interesting case study for matrilineal/matrilocal (Not matriarchal)
> groups are the Minangkabau of Indonesia:
>
> http://secure.britannica.com/ebc/article-9372197?query=Minangkabau&ct=
>
> http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~psanday/eggi2.html
>
> Of interest is the family unit:
>
> The domestic unit, a community house, held a head woman, her sisters,
> their daughters, and their children and visiting husbands.
>
>

My ideas about Esrolian society have been heavily inspired by Minangkabau culture since traveling through Sumatra.

A couple of ideas that might be game-relevant that I did not see mention of in those links
1. It is normal for the menfolk to leave their village and travel quite widely before coming home to settle down and get married. I was told this is why you can find Padang restaurants across most of Indonesia. Men who have succeeded outside of their own village are apparently highly regarded by the families of women looking for husbands. 2. Husbands do not generally live with their wives but do make extended visits. The main male role models for children will often be the brothers of their mother, who live in the same "big house".

It has to be restated that all of this takes place within a religion that elsewhere appears quite patriarchal - far more so than the religion of Orlanth and Ernalda among Heortlings. My own personal vision of Esrolia is probably a bit non-canon in that the basic religion is largely unchanged from that of the Heortlings; men largely worship Orlanth and women largely worship Ernalda. Women generally stay at home on or near the land they own, men are more free to travel and explore. Oh and there are road-side Esrolian food-stalls selling tasty meals wherever there are well traveled roads throughout Kerofinela and the neighbouring areas.

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Nic