'Mama's Place' - Visiting Matriarchal Societies - Meghalaya State

I noticed something was up as I was in the jeep being driven through the Khasi Hills district. Nay, I tell a lie, it was a week earlier as I was traveling down to Tripura. The coach had stopped off for dinner at about 10pm. I was not hungry, but I decided to stock up. We were in the Janita Hills and I went to the local shop, nothing more than a small hut by the restaurant. It was a husband and wife team. But it was the husband scurrying around in the back, getting the goods, while the wife was dealing with the cash. At the time I did not register anything unusual, but it was the first time in India that a woman had handled my cash.

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So yes, I was in a jeep being driven through the Khasi Hills district, when suddenly I noticed women, everywhere. Yes, women do come out in India, this is not a repressed society. But in the Khasi Hills, women were really everywhere, working, on their own, in groups. There were mothers everywhere, working, not going out with pushchairs taking up a whole pavement, but with their babies on their backs. This was not a coffee morning, but they were doing everything that made society move.



Still, it did not click in my mind that I was traveling through a solidly matriarchal society, I just thought it was a more 'westernised' part of India. Ha! I could not be more wrong...before I had hit India, I was not planning to see Meghalaya. Maybe an overnight jobbie, that was about it. However, the heat of Tripura, plus a realisation that Shillong was on a plateau meant that I decided to spend a few days up in the cooling hills. Unfortunately, I did not do any research on Meghalaya, so I walked into the state completely ignorant of the surroundings.



After finding a hotel I went down the hill and found a place by the river selling fish and rice. Yeah baby...anyhoo, I sat down and nibbled away, watching the women do their thing. Running a restaurant. Again, it did not register with me that I was watching a matriarchy at work, I was far more enthused by plain tea - yes! Tea, without milk or sugar - the way I actually like my tea!

You really can see, that despite the high fluted subject matter of this blog, when it comes to basics all I think of when traveling is good food and great tea.

So when did I realise I was in the middle of a matriarchal society. Nope, I did not read up about it until later on, I did not get told by anyone until later on. I realised when I was wandering round the market place. Just a stroll mind you, minding my own business, taking pictures, when I heard a wolf whistle. I stopped, and looked round. There she was, in her sixties, winking at me. A bit taken aback, she gave another wolf whistle and a wink. I winked back and called out 'all right babes'.