Travel toKihnu , a small island off the coast of Estonia , and you ’ll now acknowledge that the island ’s dirt roads , rock - strewn beach , and tiny Village are bereft of gentleman . Its inhabitants are mostly middle - aged women ; they zip across the island astride vintage motorcycles , clad in traditional woven skirts and head scarves .
Kihnu is one of the world ’s last remaining matriarchal high society . Its economy is reliant on the island ’s fishermen , who leave home for months at a prison term to sail the Baltic Sea . Their wife are left behind to work in the field , invoke the children , and basically launch the island . They ’re also responsible for passing down one C - old traditions to the island ’s younger generations — a challenging task thanks to a stutter economy and a dwindle universe .
It ’s sluttish to romanticise Kihnu ’s pastoral shore , which pull European tourists during the summertime month . However , the small community miss industry and opportunities for adolescents . According toVisions of Kihnu , a shortsighted docudrama that was screened at last year’sEstonian Documentary Film Festival & Competitionin Toronto , young people often leave Kihnu to look for high education and never return . Therefore , aspects of the island ’s rich ethnical inheritance — elaborate weddingsfilled with ancient rituals , and smart , bridge player - weave traditional dresses , for example — are in danger of pass out .
However , officials have taken steps to ensure that the island ’s bequest is uphold . The Kihnu weddinghas been nameda UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and impalpable Heritage of Humanity . And the recently renovatedKihnu Museumcelebrates local history , famed resident , and the customs and rule that make Kihnu unlike any other island in the Baltic region — or for that matter , the worldly concern .
[ h / tAl Jazeera ]
