An old woman, dressed in a colored skirt, sat alone in her kitchen, the wrinkles on her hands snaking to her wrists like eroded river valleys. The day's chores were not yet finished—she had run a farm all her life, busy from morning to night, feeding chickens, feeding sheep, making clothes, repairing trucks; at the moment, her attention was focused on the rhythmic beating knitting needles in her hands, and she was sewing shou clothes for herself.
The hand-woven island of Kihenu is famous
This is The island of Kihnu, a small island on the baltic sea on the west coast of Estonia, famous as the "Island of Women" and the last region in Europe to remain under matriarchy.
The southernmost lighthouse of Kihenu Island is one of the island's most famous tourist attractions
The island's community is sustained by the strength and tenacity of women, a unique culture of women's life that was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. Here, women bear the responsibilities of farming, child-rearing and housework, and these responsibilities on women's shoulders are traditions left by their ancestors. Due to the lack of men on the island– men who work at sea or abroad all year round and rarely participate in the island's community activities and island labor– the role of women extends beyond the traditional female role to all aspects of life on the island.
Women sat around to mourn the death of their old companions, who lay in coffins in the middle
They are not only the inheritors of local songs, dances, traditional weaving and various other handicrafts, but also the main organizers of important events such as local weddings and funerals.
Kihenou has a harsh climate and has been occupied by the Soviet Union for 50 years, but the island's traditional matriarchy has never wavered. Now, that tradition is being challenged like never before – including the younger generation leaving the islands to look outside in search of better opportunities for development – putting this island culture at risk. Although the arrival of tourists for this unique culture has created a seasonal tourist tide and promoted the economy of the island, the island's residents are getting older and the population is shrinking. According to statistics, in 2007, there were more than 600 residents in Kihenu Island, and only about 300 people remained in 2020.
Omnipotent Kihnu island woman
"It's a story about the past, but it's important for the future." "My inner convictions told me that I had to capture these stories and write them into books," she said. ”
The story Gjelstad wants to capture is the story of a place with traditional Kelly Villa rhythmic ballads, brightly woven embroidered costumes, and women who can do everything from motorcycle repair to herding. It is a story about survival, and this survival, in the future, its fate is in jeopardy.
Gjelstad was the first to show the women of Kihenu to the world, and later said she photographed 35 women on the island and only 10 are still alive.