Matriarchy between the Yeche-Hani

Between the branch Yeche de los Hani, with a population it belongs to 17.000 persons, the majority belongs to the families they preserve a few genealogy that reach up to 70 generations, what it would include (to 25 years for generation) a history of approximately 1.700 years. One believes that the Yeche were living about the IIIrd century in a society matrilineal in that "they meet the mother and not the father", with group marriages, and the religion and economy organized concerning the women, occupying these a position more raised in the society. The process of step of the matriarchy to the patriarchy could have lasted approximately 600 years (from-300 to 300), and to be provoked by the wars and migrations. To consolidate the patriarchal domination there arises a series of social instruments (after all it is something contrary to nature), a generation after other one is counted only in the father, the women are losing his personal freedom suffering the oppression of the government, the clan, the husband and the religion.

In spite of last centuries, the marriage, the religion and the social life Yeche still has influence of the matriarchal epoch. The young people Yeche bachelors have sexual freedom. When a family constructs a house, a little out of the principal house one or two more kidlings do, especially so that his sons and daughters pair off on having reached the ripeness. In fact, when they are 15-16 years, they begin happening the nights there, I seal of that they have reached the ripeness. Boys and girls consider that all the more lovers should have, better, avoiding only the relations with the relatives.

The boys and girls of every village have a chief, who is a little more major and has more experience. The chief of the boys of a village deals with organizing with the chief of the girls of another village, the meetings for later dates, visiting in the village of some or others. In the houses there is mixed the music, singings and laughs, but the girls have a somewhat passive role to the beginning of the relation, when they have to neither laugh nor shout. From eleven o'clock in the night the singings are becoming more close friends and only there stays in the hut the young people who have paired off, that to midnight will go away to their small house where they happen the night. At the dawn the boys accompany them up to the exit of the village and agree new meetings. They know neither the jealousy nor the possession of other.

Based on the article about Him Hei. - Yeche ren shejiao jiqi hunsu zhongde muxi zhi canyu shixi (Analysis of the matriarchal traces in the marriage and social interactions of the Yeche). In Honghe minzu yuwen guji yanjiu, 1998-1.

Pedro Ceinos Arcones

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