Re: Montanian

Joe wrote:
> Actually, male's are dominant in most societies. (Just wondering, can
> you give me any examples of the reverse? maybe a language too?) So it
> is logical.
Well, my conlang is spoken by a matriarchal society, more or less.
Actually, "segregationist" is a better description of the position of
the sexes.  But, "separate but equal" isn't even a theoretical ideal for
them, they openly admit that the women get the better end of the deal.
:-)

They are non-human, and do not form pair-bonds like humans do.  The main
part of the village is occupied by the women and children.  Daughters
are greatly preferred over sons.  Children are raised by the mother and
her relatives.  Upon reaching the Agony, a period of rapid growth and
development in a male's life, essentially puberty compressed to a couple
of weeks, a boy leaves the village.  He is escorted out to the neutral
ground by the women, and is met by the men who take him to their part of
the village.  After he passes the Agony, and is a man, he must leave and
travel to another village where he will settle down in the men's part.
Once a year, the women are fertile, this is the mating season.  During
this time, they travel to the men's section and mate.  Outside of that
time, however, the women never enter the men's section, and the men
never enter the women's section at ANY time.  Men and women have
different fields that they farm, and generally avoid contact as much as
possible.  The men have their own priests, their own customs, even their
own dialect (which I've yet to detail).  The men have total local
autonomy, but external relations are handled solely by women.  Which
means its the women who declare wars.  The men, however, are drafted to
do most of the fighting.  They are the infantry, while the women are the
archers and the calvary.  When a war is victorious, it's the (female)
leaders who are given credit, but when a war is lost, it is usually the
male fighters who are blamed.  The female and male leaders will often
meet in neutral ground, so that the women have some idea of what the men
are capable of, should war be necessary.  Many a village has been
destroyed due to inadequate communication between the genders, and the
women being unaware of male grievances, the neglect of which lead to the
men refusing to fight.  As the men left their home village to settle
where they live, they are much less reluctant to relocate if they feel
the need, like in time of war or famine.

Oy!  I hadn't meant to post so much.  :-)

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