Part Two: ReStorying Knowledges of Matricultures

in progress

Definiton

Matricultures (pl.) are egalitarian cultures founded on the maternal values of relationality and care-giving that serve as ethical principles for all genders, for mothers and not-mothers. Matricultures elevate mothering as essential to re-generating culture and embed mothering in cosmological narratives. Mothers and grandmothers play a key role in identity formation and nurturing by transmitting first language and celebrating life stages. Matricultures typically govern by consensus and practice sharing economies. Women play a key role in food production and food sovereignty. This conceptualizations of matricultures builds on Passman (1983) who coined ‘matricultures’, Göttner-Abendroth (2012) who theorizes ‘matriarchies’, Gimbutas (1991) who coined ‘matristic’ (adj.) to combine the meanings of matrilineal, matrifocal, matricentric and egalitarian (Marler, 2006).

Dimensions of Matricultures include

  1. Regenerating as Power, Mothering as Sacred
  2. Egalitarianism (Susan Kent’s continuum theory)
  3. The Maternal in Cosmology
  4. Plurality: welcoming uniqueness and difference to strengthen the community
  5. Egalitarian Resource Sharing: Leaving no one behind
  6. Identity Formation: first language, first foods, first songs, first stories
Indigenous women celebrate together
Syncretism: Icons of two mothers: Isis and Mary