Last surviving matriarchy in Europe Print

Inspired by the Kihnu people in Estonia Kihnu, known as the Island of Women, is an isolated place in the Baltic Sea off Estonia's western coast. The Kihnu people in Estonia are one of the last surviving matriarchies in Europe. BBC travel recently featured them in an article (May 14), where Women are in charge of this community of c. 600 people and have been running the show for centuries. The men of Kihnu, who are mostly fishermen, go out to sea for months at a time, leaving behind wives and children. Women govern the island in their absence, and act as guardians of its traditions and culture. The island community is one primarily powered by the strength and resilience of women. Keepers of a culture so rich it's on Unesco's intangible cultural heritage of humanity list, the women of Kihnu balance the responsibilities of farming, child rearing and daily life with the inherited duty of maintaining ancestral traditions. Through harsh weather and 50 years of Soviet occupation, these matriarchal traditions have endured. But a cluster of forces – including the flight of the younger generation in search of more opportunity – now endanger this unique island culture.

Print:Giclee on Fine Art Paper

Size:10 W x 10 H x 0.1 D in

Size with Frame:15.25 W x 15.25 H x 1.2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.