Objects of the Col·lecció Museogràfica Permanent Etnogràfica de La Casa Gran
Disc-shaped stele 01
Gender and life cycle
This type of funerary monument actually lacks any gender significance. In other words, it could represent both men and women, being used to mark the location of a tomb, which might be that of a dead male or female. Death was one of the few contexts in which there was no separation or gender inequality during the Middle Ages. The close link with the iconography of the cross and the choice of holy spaces as a vehicle for attaining the beyond represent an important tool for establishing the desired social distinctions from the other cultures found in medieval society – Muslims and Jews – as well as establishing gender relationships based on cultural issues associated with religiosity and gender.
Iron
Gender and work
The work of laundering and ironing took on importance during the Industrial Revolution, from the 19th to the mid-20th century. This occurred in response to the need for washed and ironed clothing due to questions of hygiene and demand from the bourgeoisie. And so a labour framework was created, made up of ironers, always women, not associated with guilds and valued very little, who worked under terrible conditions.
Talzim (olive basket)
Gender and life cycle
The talzim is used to harvest and hold olives as part of the traditional olive oil production process. This fact gave it a clearly gendered nature until the 20th century, depending on the phase of the process. During the vareo phase (hitting the tree branches with poles to shake the fruit loose), when olives are also harvested in the traditional manner even today, it is important to understand that such activities, which form part of the family economy, involved both men and women. However, it is true that men predominately did the shaking, while woman most often did the gathering. Nevertheless, it was common for a system to be established in which they alternated duties. It is here that the talzim appears as a container for the collected olives, forming part of a system of labour in which the division by gender must be reconsidered.