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Men's Business, Women's Business: The Spiritual Role of Gender in the World's Oldest Culture
Beautiful stories of life in Australian Aboriginal society--where gender influences every aspect of existence--that show a new way to find happiness in our modern Western culture
• Follows an Australian Aboriginal boy and girl from childhood through adolescence, adulthood, old age, and death, contrasting their experiences with those of ours at the same life stages
• Presents the experience of living in a society in which every action is governed by the gender laws of nature and myth, and offers us ideas for the conduct of our lives
For thousands of years the Ngarinyin Aboriginal culture of Australia has existed with almost a total division of responsibility between genders. This division enables both men and women to respect the power, wisdom, and essentiality of the other because only when the two genders work in harmony does their culture function as it should.
When Hannah Rachel Bell, a committed activist and feminist, first encountered this culture in the 1970s she resisted such blatant gender division. But over her 25-year collaboration with the well-known Aboriginal Lawman David Mowaljarlai she found her beliefs challenged and finally changed. In this book Bell presents the experience of living in a society in which every action is governed by the laws of nature and myth, rather than those of commerce and politics. She offers modern people ideas for the conduct of their lives by raising awareness of the cultural processes and institutions that affect men's and women's authority, sovereignty, and the fulfillment of their birthright. It is a journey that, if traveled collectively, could change the direction and experience of modern culture.
• Follows an Australian Aboriginal boy and girl from childhood through adolescence, adulthood, old age, and death, contrasting their experiences with those of ours at the same life stages
• Presents the experience of living in a society in which every action is governed by the gender laws of nature and myth, and offers us ideas for the conduct of our lives
For thousands of years the Ngarinyin Aboriginal culture of Australia has existed with almost a total division of responsibility between genders. This division enables both men and women to respect the power, wisdom, and essentiality of the other because only when the two genders work in harmony does their culture function as it should.
When Hannah Rachel Bell, a committed activist and feminist, first encountered this culture in the 1970s she resisted such blatant gender division. But over her 25-year collaboration with the well-known Aboriginal Lawman David Mowaljarlai she found her beliefs challenged and finally changed. In this book Bell presents the experience of living in a society in which every action is governed by the laws of nature and myth, rather than those of commerce and politics. She offers modern people ideas for the conduct of their lives by raising awareness of the cultural processes and institutions that affect men's and women's authority, sovereignty, and the fulfillment of their birthright. It is a journey that, if traveled collectively, could change the direction and experience of modern culture.
- GenresNonfiction
208 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 13, 2025
I picked this book up at a second hand shop as I was interested to learn about the role of gender in Aboriginal culture.
However, I should have listened to my intuition when I got icked out by the subtitle and left it on the shop shelf then and there... because this book is - in my opinion - a horrible representation of the role of 'gender' in Aboriginal culture that had me cringing throughout.
I think my big problem with this book is that it's not necessarily about 'gender' at all, but rather, about the authors perception of what Aboriginal notions of 'gender' can teach white Australia, and the west more broadly, about finding spirituality in a mechanised, atomised world.
Now I don't disagree with the author that we white Australians need to find better ways of living and organising... but the problem of bringing this lens to the object of this book is that she inevitably invokes the myth of the 'noble savage.' This book is essentially going 'look at how immoral the western world is, and now look at this Indigenous culture that is one with each other and the earth.' She is falling into the classic trap of white people romanticising Indigenous cultures as remedies to all western problems. The consequence of this is a book that objectifies and commodifies Aboriginal culture into something we westerners must use to better ourselves.
And that leads me into my next point - the authors agenda. Again I would agree that the western world is pretty messed up. But I might point to large scale political, economic and social structures that have been long fermenting like capitalism, neoliberalism and patriarchy. The author of this book, on the other hand, thinks the problems of the west are a consequence of the... absence of any universal spiritual truth to guide us all.
She highlights this in the context of gender relations (hence the title), arguing (perhaps in-explicitly) that western feminism's emphasis on breaking down patriarchal ideas of 'woman' is the symptom of a society out of touch with the inherent spirituality of 'men' and 'women' as different categories. She believes if the western world can get in touch with what is spiritual about 'men' and 'women' as spiritually different categories, men and women can find ways of living together that aren't in competition or patriarchal, but rather sacredly complimentary. (Hint, her ideas of man and woman are just men [assertive, protectors, etc.] and women [passive, carers, etc.]).
She uses her romanticised view of Aboriginal notions of 'Mens Business' and 'Womens Business' to support her argument, essentially going: look at how good Aboriginal culture is compared to ours... and what is the point of difference? they have spiritually different roles for men and women that allow their society to operate cohesively among themselves and in their relation with the environemnt. Specifically, she argues this by projecting an understanding of gender-as-biological sex onto male-female differences in Aboriginal culture. Here, she is using her perception of Aboriginal culture as having a biological system of gendered difference as a tool for proving the necessity of biological essentialism as a key element of a 'good' ecological and socially cohesive society.
She pays no attention to the fact that 'biology' is a western, cultural construct that may not be commensurate within Aboriginal culture and nor does she pay any consideration to gender diversity in her analysis. This is despite the strong history of Brotherboy and Sistergirl identities in Indigenous communities and the proven role of colonial forces and missions in violently beating out sex-role non-conforming behaviours and identities in Indigenous cultures across the world.
Finally, there is just an absence of Indigenous voice in this book. The author does not include interview transcripts and rarely references who provided her with the information she is communicating. Furthermore, considering ethical sensitivities relating to sharing 'mens business' and 'womens business', I could not help but feel uncertain about whether it was culturally appropriate for me to read this book at times. I just wish this book read as if it was the words of the people themselves, rather than the author using Indigenous culture to justify her perspective with (ironically) minimal consideration to Aboriginal agency and their moral-cultural frameworks.
If you are genuinely interested in the role of 'gender' in Aboriginal culture, don't read this... there are so many better resources out there.
However, I should have listened to my intuition when I got icked out by the subtitle and left it on the shop shelf then and there... because this book is - in my opinion - a horrible representation of the role of 'gender' in Aboriginal culture that had me cringing throughout.
I think my big problem with this book is that it's not necessarily about 'gender' at all, but rather, about the authors perception of what Aboriginal notions of 'gender' can teach white Australia, and the west more broadly, about finding spirituality in a mechanised, atomised world.
Now I don't disagree with the author that we white Australians need to find better ways of living and organising... but the problem of bringing this lens to the object of this book is that she inevitably invokes the myth of the 'noble savage.' This book is essentially going 'look at how immoral the western world is, and now look at this Indigenous culture that is one with each other and the earth.' She is falling into the classic trap of white people romanticising Indigenous cultures as remedies to all western problems. The consequence of this is a book that objectifies and commodifies Aboriginal culture into something we westerners must use to better ourselves.
And that leads me into my next point - the authors agenda. Again I would agree that the western world is pretty messed up. But I might point to large scale political, economic and social structures that have been long fermenting like capitalism, neoliberalism and patriarchy. The author of this book, on the other hand, thinks the problems of the west are a consequence of the... absence of any universal spiritual truth to guide us all.
She highlights this in the context of gender relations (hence the title), arguing (perhaps in-explicitly) that western feminism's emphasis on breaking down patriarchal ideas of 'woman' is the symptom of a society out of touch with the inherent spirituality of 'men' and 'women' as different categories. She believes if the western world can get in touch with what is spiritual about 'men' and 'women' as spiritually different categories, men and women can find ways of living together that aren't in competition or patriarchal, but rather sacredly complimentary. (Hint, her ideas of man and woman are just men [assertive, protectors, etc.] and women [passive, carers, etc.]).
She uses her romanticised view of Aboriginal notions of 'Mens Business' and 'Womens Business' to support her argument, essentially going: look at how good Aboriginal culture is compared to ours... and what is the point of difference? they have spiritually different roles for men and women that allow their society to operate cohesively among themselves and in their relation with the environemnt. Specifically, she argues this by projecting an understanding of gender-as-biological sex onto male-female differences in Aboriginal culture. Here, she is using her perception of Aboriginal culture as having a biological system of gendered difference as a tool for proving the necessity of biological essentialism as a key element of a 'good' ecological and socially cohesive society.
She pays no attention to the fact that 'biology' is a western, cultural construct that may not be commensurate within Aboriginal culture and nor does she pay any consideration to gender diversity in her analysis. This is despite the strong history of Brotherboy and Sistergirl identities in Indigenous communities and the proven role of colonial forces and missions in violently beating out sex-role non-conforming behaviours and identities in Indigenous cultures across the world.
Finally, there is just an absence of Indigenous voice in this book. The author does not include interview transcripts and rarely references who provided her with the information she is communicating. Furthermore, considering ethical sensitivities relating to sharing 'mens business' and 'womens business', I could not help but feel uncertain about whether it was culturally appropriate for me to read this book at times. I just wish this book read as if it was the words of the people themselves, rather than the author using Indigenous culture to justify her perspective with (ironically) minimal consideration to Aboriginal agency and their moral-cultural frameworks.
If you are genuinely interested in the role of 'gender' in Aboriginal culture, don't read this... there are so many better resources out there.
January 10, 2023
A glimpse into gender roles and the indigenous knowledge held in the oldest living culture in the world. A must read.
October 21, 2018
As an Aboriginal women I was reluctant to read this as there are many things that happen in Men's Business that I do not need to know and should not know. This book is written in a way that provides insight into the roles and relationships of the different ages and genders within the culture while maintaining the boundaries of what is being shared. A fantastic read if you are interested in understanding the complex nature of Aboriginal culture in a generalized way
August 22, 2020
Very interesting and thought provoking. It will challenge your thoughts on gender. I enjoyed this and recommend.
August 13, 2022
Food for thought. Needs a re-read
September 12, 2017
I found this book in one of the corners of my university's library. It was put under the section of anthropology. I started reading some of the pages quickly to see a glimpse of what is inside. A page described respect for the land, another page was presenting the western view to education and raising children. I knew I had to read it. And I was very glad I did. I grew fond of the Ngarinjin tribe and their rituals and reminded myself, over and over, what really is important. Off course, getting out of the chains of everyday structured life is hard. But for me the best thing in this book was how they make those steps. Not only mindfulness or meditation, real action combined with faith.
Everything reminded me of the situation that is happening now at Dakota with the Standing rock tribe. I felt their pain and understood the cause, why they want to secure their homeland, their nature. It is much more than a place where you can walk or enjoy the view. It is pure energy and connection to the past people who were living there. So thank you Hannah for presenting this struggle.
Everything reminded me of the situation that is happening now at Dakota with the Standing rock tribe. I felt their pain and understood the cause, why they want to secure their homeland, their nature. It is much more than a place where you can walk or enjoy the view. It is pure energy and connection to the past people who were living there. So thank you Hannah for presenting this struggle.
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April 19, 2011Awesome book. A lot of people could learn from this book, in this day and age when women want to be men and too often forget their birthright and true power as manifestations of the femenine.
April 26, 2011
Bell describes her observations and knowledge concerning the Ngarinyin, an aboriginal tribe in Australia, with a particular focus on gender roles.
September 26, 2011
Interesting.
August 17, 2012
A great insight into the culture that I am currently living and working with.....a great educational tool for me
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews