The role of “Mien Lady Shaman” in patriarchal society

Abstract

Two important features are considered to be socio-cultural identity of Mien people: 1) a society of rituals (especially ancestor rituals); and 2) a patriarchal society that allows only a man can be a shaman. For Mien, men play more important role than women in economic, politic, and socio-cultural aspects. Sib Mian Mien is the ritual leader who can only be male; and this reflects the dominant role of men in a society of ritual. Then, with the emergence of the first group of “Mien lady shaman”, such phenomenon has raised a question that to what extent this event will and can survive in a Mien patriarchal society. This paper is an effort to find a proper answer using ethnographic research tools to elucidate about the emergence as well as the viability of the Mien lady shaman in an old community in Chiang Rai and Phayao provinces. In addition, this study has applied “ethnic and gender role” as the main approach for analysis and discussion.