Wednesday, March 12, 2014

The Albanian mountain women who take a vow of celibacy and forever dress, work and live as men

Via WiscoDave

Tough work: Kajtaz Lajci, 64, stands with her gun and her ram on her farm in Gjolaj. Being a sworn virgin gives her the otherwise exclusively male right to carry a weapon and to own property

They may look like elderly, weathered men but these hauntingly beautiful photos actually depict a centuries-old minority of women, who exist in isolated regions of northern rural Albania and who live and act like men.

Burrneshas, also known as 'Sworn Virgins', cut their hair, don male clothing and adopt all the chores and responsibilities of the typical male head of the family. 

Unlike other women, they are permitted to drink, smoke, carry a gun and socialize with other men. 

The tradition dates all the way back to a 15th Century tribal code, whereby battle-torn families who had lost their last remaining male heir could put forward their oldest daughter to take on the Patriarchal duties instead. 

More @ Daily Mail

1 comment:

  1. Here in the US I think they are called Butch Dikes.

    ReplyDelete