A glimpse of life on Estonia's remote Kihnu Island

Estonia's Isle of Women. Europe's last surviving matriarchy. The island run by women.

Headlines hint at Kihnu Island's reputation, but they're not exactly correct.

As fishermen, Kihnu men typically spent months out at sea. Kihnu women stayed behind and out of necessity, bore tremendous responsibility for day-to-day life. They still do. Women keep the farms going and the children growing while men earn a living as fishermen, on commercial shipping boats, or on the mainland. Foreign journalists have latched on to this particular aspect of Kihnu culture, likely because of how strange it seems to find such a set-up within the confines of the modern European Union.

Time-honored traditions and modern tools

Seeing Kihnu women wearing their brightly colored, striped skirts is often a highlight for visitors to the island. Indeed, Mare is wearing one, covered with a floral apron, signifying her status as a married woman. She points out the museum's collection of skirts, describing which colors indicate whether a woman is single or married, or in mourning. She has dozens of skirts in her own wardrobe.

The Kihnu cultural space was added to the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008.

The colorful wool skirts, sweaters, and mittens and the wedding ritual featured prominently in the decision. Kihnu Island was first mentioned as an inhabited island in writing back in the 16th century, and many customs go back further than that. For example, their runic wedding songs date back over 2,000 years, to a pre-Christian time of oral tradition and kinship ties.

Kihnu's culture may be old, but it's not stagnant. Along with her wool skirt, Mare wears an Apple Watch to track her steps and checks her messages throughout the day, which involves coordinating a visit from the film crew accompanying an elderly German woman famous for a cooking channel on YouTube. They are set up outside an old farmhouse, awaiting a concert of traditional music and folk dancing.

One woman sits down with an accordion and another tucks a fiddle under her chin. Two women come flying down the road in a small sedan, obviously late for the concert. They join the others who sing along while keeping their hands busy with knitting. They set their work down only to stand up and dance. The leader introduces the musicians and asks the audience members to introduce themselves, clasping hands with the elderly YouTuber. She teases one German, saying he would make a better football player when he says he's a writer. She invites everyone to join in the dance, though no one dares.

Tips for a sustainable visit to Kihnu Island

Highland cows graze in the long grass between the rocky shore and the road, some chest-deep in the water. Yellow wildflowers peek out from craggy rocks. Tall pines puncture grey clouds. Lilac bushes line the road and fence off homes. Their petite purple flowers billow up from the sandy soil next to the lighthouse.

Life on Kihnu Island follows the seasons, as it has for centuries.

The types of seasons have changed recently, though; late May is the beginning of the tourist season, which is arguably just as important as the harvest season.

Mare, like most Estonians, is straightforward. She says she sometimes wishes tourists would simply send money floating down while flying over the island. But she realizes that sharing the island with visitors, at least with those willing to engage with the community, is one way to keep traditions alive.

Scroll through the gallery for green travel tips on Kihnu.