Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-12-07
WHEN WOMEN RULE.
THE ISLAND OF MINiCOY, THE
HAVEN OF CONTENT.
Husbands Take the wives, Names-
The Balance OF Power In the WO-
mems Hands, Who Hold IL with
n Firm Grasp.


fairly sharp eyes you may find it or
the map, tiny speck lying midwa,
between the Maldive and Laceadivt
groups off the southwest Coast o
India. 1t is called Minicoy.
1t happened that while sojourning
for short time at Calicnt | came
across an Official report of the island
which instantly aroused my curiosity.
Every woman of the island" it read,
ais dressed in silk. The upper classes
wear red silk and earrings of a
peculiar fashion, while the Melacheri
Clover classes) are restricted to the
use of dark striped silk of coarser
quality. Every husband must allow
his wife at least one candy (56O
pounds) OF rice, two silk gowns and
two nndergarments a year. y
The women appear in public freely
with their heads uncovered and take
the lead in almost everything except
navigation"
Minicoy presents the appearance OF
small low island, the tallest palm Of
which rises scarcely more than a hun
dred feet above the sea level. 1t is
about five miles long by four across
its widest part, and stands solitary in
midocean, without speck Of land to
be seen on the north, south, east or
west.
As we are rowed ashore we pass
three large 700 0-ton schooners. This
is the fleet of the island. 1t is August
and the southwest monsoon having
lost its terrors, the sailors on board
are busily engaged in getting the
vessels ready for their regular eight
months voyage. This annual setting
out and the annual return in April
constitute the two great events of their
island life.
Turning our eyes shoreward we zee
congregated about the landing groups
of women and girls. Surely enough
they are all clad in silken gowns,
striped silk most of them, denoting
that their wearers are the common
people.
These gowns reach nearly to the
ankles and are made with q hole
through which to pass the head. The
sleeves are short and in many cases
very beautifully embroidered. A
couple of inches OF white undergar-
ment show beneath the bottom OF
these gowns, and the whole attire fits
snugly and displays the wearer's
charms to perfection. The women
are barefooted and bareheaded, and
Mohammedans, they go un-
veiled, which fact lends color to the
belief that these people were at one
time Christians.
It appears that women are organ
lied separately from the men and
each organization is termed q varangi.
There are ten of these. each Of which
is presided over by head-woman.
The male organizations are called at
tiris and are in number only nine. In
other words, the township is divided
into nineteen parts, the women hold
ing the controlling balance and run.
ming things generally.
Each varangi and attiris has its own
and thus in the town,
which extends along the margin of
The lagoon for about q mile, there are
no less than nineteen public buildings,
most of them jauntily decorated in
bright colors and finished off with
OF an elaborate gable end.
Here the members meet to transact
The business OF their division and to
perform the work which brings it its
revenue.
Each head woman is elected by the
voice of her division and has authority
over all the females in her varangi and
also over the boys up to the age of
seven, when they are qualified to enter
} community of men. She can call
together those under her whenever
public services require it.
The attiris are conducted in much
The same manner, except that their
work consists OF boat building, carpen-
try, fishing and other male occupa-
lions. For eight months of the year,
their ranks are very thin and
feeble, for two-thirds Of the male pop
are absent during that time,
and those who remain are mostly per-
sons too old, too young, or in some
other way untitled for the perilous
and rugged labor of the sea. But
even when all are at home the females
are largely preponderant, outnumber-
ing the males by fully third.
One duty of the attiris is to turn
out at the alarm OF fire. This alarm
is sounded from conch shell with q
bit broken off at the apex. Three
shrill blasts are the fire signal, and
Judging from the single one given us
Is a sample the man must be exceed
inply deaf or very far from town whose
ears failed to catch the sound.
The relations OF the sexes In MIMI
coy are peculiar. to say the least. In
the first place they are homogeneous
which for a people Of their religion Is
strange to begin with. Then the wo-
man 10 at the head of the house ana
not the man; indeed, that individual
caunts for very little. The house be-
longs to the woman and all that Is IN
it. Practically the man belongs 70