The primordial deity for our Paleolithic and Neolithic ancestors was female, reflecting the sovereignty of motherhood.
~ Marija Gimbutas (1921-1994)*
In fact, there are NO images that have been found of a Father God throughout the prehistoric record.
Paleolithic and Neolithic symbols and images cluster around a self-generating Goddess and her basic functions as Giver-of-Life, Wielder-of-Death, and as Regeneratrix.
I am often asked what I mean when I use the word ‘HerStory’.
Here’s my response: I like to use the phrase the “HerStory” vs ‘history’ so that we remember what’s been forgotten when it comes to the legacy of women’s traditions buried by the sands of time… to remember when there were civilizations that existed as matrilineal culture and the movements of everyday life revolved around the cycles of the seasons and cycles of the moon, etc. So, for example, the circular and spiral movements of belly dance are deeply steeped in ancient traditions handed down from grandmother to granddaughter celebrating a joyful physicality and healthy reverence for the cycles of life.
Yes, I teach what some might call “straight up” belly dancing and I do so within the context of a HerStory “historical” context.
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- * Marija Gimbutas, Lithuanian archaeologist and anthropologist, is reknowned for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of “Old Europe” and for her Kurgan hypothesis*, which located the Proto-Indo-European homeland in the Pontic Steppe.
*See also: “The Skeletons at the Lake“ - I encourage you to read more about Marija Gimbutas in this 1989 LA Times Article: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-11-tm-2975-story.html
- Peruse Gimbutas’ books (see Resources: Recommended Reading list)
- Watch this documentary about Marija Gimutas:
