The Mosuo (Chinese: 摩梭; pinyin: Mósuō; also spelled Moso, Mosso or Musuo), often incorrectly referred to as the Naxi,[1] are a small ethnic group living in China's Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces.

[4] Mosuo culture is primarily agrarian, with work based on farming tasks such as raising livestock (yak, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry) and growing crops, including grains and potatoes.

They produce a local alcoholic beverage made from grain, called sulima, which is similar to strong wine.

Average incomes are low (US$150–200 per year), causing financial restrictions when cash is needed for activities such as education or travel.

Mosuo women do all the housework, including cleaning, tending the fire, cooking, gathering firewood, feeding the livestock, and spinning and weaving.

Mosuo men help to bring up the children of their sisters and female cousins, build houses, and are in charge of livestock and fishing,[10] which they learn from their uncles and older male family members as soon as they are old enough.

Some misleading authors claim men have no responsibility in Mosuo society — they have no jobs, rest all day, and conserve their strength for nighttime visits.

An important historical fact often missed in studies of the Mosuo was that their social organization has traditionally been feudal, with a small nobility controlling a larger peasant population.

[14] As Shih argues, marriage, as different from tisese, was introduced into Mosuo society through contact with other ethnic groups during the Yuan and Qing empire-building process.

In a walking marriage, both partners live under the roof of their respective extended families during the day; however, at night it is common for the man to visit and stay at the woman's house (if given permission) until sunrise.

Children of parents in a walking marriage are raised by the brothers of the mother (maternal uncles), who take on the responsibilities of the father since he is not typically around during the daytime.

"The Mosuo have large extended families, and several generations (great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, etc.)

"[16][This quote needs a citation] "While a pairing may be long-term, the man never lives with the woman's family, or vice versa.

"[16][This quote needs a citation] However, this does not mean that men can wipe their hands free of responsibilities and spend every night participating in shenanigans.

"[16][This quote needs a citation] Unlike other cultures, women in the Mosuo society dominate the household and family.

[16] Considering women are responsible for most domestic jobs, they have a larger role in the walking marriage and are viewed with more respect and importance in this society.

In fact, the male relatives of the mother's side of the family, such as uncles and cousins, are generally the "father figure" to the husband's children.

[16] If a father decides to be involved in the upbringing of his own biological child, he can bring gifts and help with work around the woman's household.

[19] Other than the child receiving exceptional care and attention from the extended family, there are many inconspicuous advantages for participating in a walking marriage.

"[This quote needs a citation] But, in other anthropologists' views, it is a more recent change, "in the face of political campaigns and cultural integration with the Han Chinese", and "previous generations often continued with multiple partners even after a child was born.

[20] After coming of age, Mosuo females can get their own private bedroom, called a "flowering room"; and, once past puberty, can begin to invite partners for "walking marriages".

[10] Behind the hearth is a slab of stone (called guo zhuang in Chinese) and an ancestral altar where Mosuo household members leave a food offering.

Afterwards, friends and family gather to pay their last respects and wish the deceased an easy journey to their ancestral land.

It is made up of two coexisting beliefs: their own syncretic faith called Daba and the influence of Tibetan Buddhism.

[21] The primary tasks of the priest (or shaman), also called daba, are to perform exorcisms and assist deceased spirits.

Potatoes were their main staple for a while until the mid-twentieth century when they began growing rice, which today makes up more than half of annual production.

Since the early twentieth century they have raised buffalo, cows, horses, and goats which originated from Han and Tibetan regions.

Young Mosuo men and women use these modes to leave their villages and find employment in neighboring cities.

Tourism is primarily domestic and typically occurs as a part of organized tour groups to view a culture that seems "exotic".

Most films perpetuate the myth that women run the society, some even claiming that men have no say in political or household matters and do not work.