• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Women's Legacy Project
  • Home
  • About
  • How To Curate
  • Our Collective Legacy
  • Writing Online Memoir
  • Blog
Women's Legacy Project > Blog > BE > Women's Legacy > A to Z > A to Z - 2018 - Feminine Icons > Iconic U: Umiaq, Ursula, and Ubiquity

Iconic U: Umiaq, Ursula, and Ubiquity

Written by: womenslegacy
Published: April 24, 2018 -- Last Modified: April 24, 2018
1 Comment

I had the best of plans for the letter U.  I had decided early on that the perfect word for the letter U in this years’s challenge was the word Umiaq, which would give me opportunity to talk about gendered toolkits and tools, not pink hand drills, but real distinct tools that are women’s boats such as umiaq, or women’s knives such as ulus.  These are both examples from languages of peoples from the circumpolar region inside the Arctic Circle.  But there is also the gender of  many words which I have always found intriguing that some languages have this and some do not.
But then I remembered Ursula K. Le Guin and wanted to remember her inspiring work.  Surely I should talk about her groundbreaking novel about gender, The Left Hand of Darkness.  Or her sensible words on aging.
Then the words unique and ubiquity kept jumping into my mind.  Perhaps I could throw in a bunch of other words that deal with the iconic feminine that did not fit in elsewhere?  Universal principles with unique, even idiosyncratic, examples.
Or perhaps the iconic nature of the umbilical cord but then I would probably have to talk about the placenta and I don’t want to do that.  Personal phobia.  Ick.
And how can I pass up an opportunity to talk about the usurious nature of many economic practices in the modern western world?  It is not just about exorbitant interest rates but about women needing to take them out far more often than men due to lesser pay, hours being cut, layoffs, and having to care for multiple generations during family ill-health.
Then there is the way women are uniting in the United States to gain leadership and governance rules.

These are all worthy topics for discussion.  So, if you were writing about iconic female connections to items, words, and concepts, as well as iconic women, which one of these would you tackle?

Categories: A to Z - 2018 - Feminine Icons, Communication, Cultural, Culture, Featured StoriesTags: ubiquitous, umiaq, unique, universal, Ursula K. Le Guin, usury

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org
Previous Post: « Iconic T: Titles
Next Post: Iconic V: Women Are Not Weaker Vessels »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Leanne | www.crestingthehill.com.au

    April 25, 2018 at 1:34 am

    There were a lot of deep and profound “U” words in that little offering – and I’m glad you steered away from Uterus and placentas – not really my cup of tea at the moment! The books sound interesting too.
    Leanne | http://www.crestingthehill.com.au
    V for Visualise and Plan

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Footer

Recent Posts

  • Ending, and Beginning
  • For Our Daughters
  • Stand and Write
  • Context and Little Things
  • A Month is Just a Month… as Time Goes By
  • Processing Two Very Different Deaths
  • A Dehydrated and Delusional Friend Found Wandering in 100° Heat
  • About Women’s Legacy & Hill Research
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Archives

Powered by
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
View my Flipboard Magazine.

© 2023, Nancy Hill, Women's Legacy Project of Hill Research Services, LLC

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT