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Oh, and in regards to things like clothes, technology, etc....
...clothing is, for the most part, 'normal' clothing...jeans, t-shirts, etc. They do have traditional clothing, but at least in the case of younger Mosuo, this is usually worn only for special occasions.
And no problem with technology. The Mosuo can "see" that it works (as opposed to microorganisms), and while they may not understand the "how", that's not so important. The Mosuo are very ecumenical and flexible in their belief system...if you can show them it works, they accept it.
Consider that this is a culture that has two entirely different religions -- Daba and Tibetan Buddhism -- existing simultaneously side-by-side. Many of the beliefs of the two religions would seem, to the western mind, to be in opposition to each other. But for the Mosuo, there is no such conflict. Whatever works, works. The "why" is just not that terribly important, they live in a world where most things that happen, happen for reasons beyond their control or comprehension.
In fact, this leads to a rather humorous/ironic little story. The Mosuo culture is very much a fate-oriented culture...everything that happens happens for a reason, and is determined by forces beyond their control. Therefore, the idea of "taking control of their fate/destiny" not only seems pointless, it is actually seen as dangerous and harmful, fighting against the will of powers that are greater than you.
So, when I first started talking about setting up this organization and these projects, I met tremendous resistance. Not in the form of "we don't want this", but in the form of "We don't know if this is what we are supposed to do". In this regard, getting support of the Daba priests (who pretty much determine everything in regards to what should or should not be done, when it should be done, where it should be done, etc.) is crucial.
However, once I had actually managed to get a few Mosuo on my side, and we established our organization, their attitude did a 100% reversal, and they became very excited about and supportive of our work, throwing themselves into it with great enthusiasm. Why? Because we had been successful in doing it (where many others had failed), which in and of itself was an indication that this is what is supposed to happen. Thus, quite ironically, an atheistic foreigner ended up being their supernatural confirmation that what we were doing was ordained by fate.
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