| In a field in the Liangshan Mountain, two groups of
young men from the Chinese Yizu nationality armed with
spears, sticks and bows are on the verge of a violent
fight. Suddenly, a middle-aged woman dressed in a skirt
edged with lace comes between them. The sharp spears almost
touches her body, but she remains calm and shakes her
skirt as if she is signaling the men. The fighters are
all astonished by the sudden scene. They stop forwarding
and slowly lower their arms, watching the waving of the
skirt. After a moment's silence, the heads of both sides
order to withdraw.
Who is that woman? Is she a powerful authority from
a village? No! She is only an ordinary woman. The fact
is that one group of the young men are from her husband's
village and the other from her own. According to the
customs of Yizu in that area, if an armed fight ever
happens between two villages, no man from either village
dare go to the border by risking being kidnapped or
killed. Women, however, are exceptional. As usual, they
can work in fields along the border or visit relatives
and friends in the opposite village without being endangered.
If another war should happen, any woman from the related
village mediates in it by standing between the fighting
parties. Her action is usually respected. If either
of the two sides ignores her advice, she will put off
her skirt and stands naked before them until she commits
suicide for the sake of honor. If such an event does
happen, the side who sticks to the war will be condemned
and more people will join the war. As large scale wars
are discouraged, the brave woman's advice is often favored
by the fighters.
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