If so, when and where and are there any left now?
2007-04-26 08:55:06 · 13 answers · asked by oscarjr1990 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
No matriarchal societies are known. However there are many more matrilineal and matrilocal societies. A lot of people answering are interchanging the definition of matrilocal/matrilineal with matriarchal.
Matrilocal is when a husband who marries a woman must move to her community/village.
Matrilineal is a descent system based on unilineal descent that gives the mother's family certain terms of kinship than the father's family.
Matriarchal is when women have control of a community.
Matrilocal and matrilineal societies does NOT mean that the women hold more power than the men. Inhertiance and lineage does NOT equal power.
There has long been debate among anthropologists about matriarchal societies. Read about The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory by Cynthia Eller.
However, matrifocal is the gravitating toward or centering on the mother.
2007-04-26 08:58:53 · answer #1 · answered by Tania La Güera 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Many of the native American cultures were matriarchal and some in the Phillipines. The question are there any left now? Yes at my house.
2007-04-26 09:00:42 · answer #2 · answered by Ell 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The world isn't a society. However, some people argue that the earliest human cultures were matriarchal. Whether or not it is true I do not know, I'm no history expert.
2016-05-19 04:26:40 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have to define what you mean by matriarchal but there are many societies which trace lineage through the female not male line and therefore, the daughters are primary those who inherited property.
2007-04-26 09:04:32 · answer #4 · answered by slinda 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, some of the Native American tribes were/are matriarchal. I'd have to do a bit of research as to where they are now...
2007-04-26 09:01:03 · answer #5 · answered by Kat 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the term "matriarchal" implies a society where women wielded power in a parallel manner to the way that men have. evidence to that is sketchy-to-debatable.
"Matrifocal" is a better term to describe societies that had a balance of male/female power, but mothers may have held slightly more.
2007-04-26 09:00:07 · answer #6 · answered by kent_shakespear 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A course I took in college (anthropology dept) suggested that as some civilizations advance they go through a period of matriarchy. Many European countries have been headed by a queen over the centuries. Rome and Greece went through periods of matriarchy. It is hard to cite specifics in a short reply, but check out : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy
It is a great Wikipedia article on matriarchies with lots of references and links. I hope this helps!
2007-04-26 10:29:32 · answer #7 · answered by SouthBendJason_Go_Irish 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In India, in the state of Meghalaya, the Jaintias, the Khasis, and the Garos are three matrilineal and matriarchal tribes who take their names from their mothers.
70 percent of Meghalaya is Christian.
2007-04-26 09:00:29 · answer #8 · answered by krishna 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've read about one in Oaxaca, Mexico. The town is called Juchitan. Women own land and businesses there. Daughters receive the inheritance from the mothers. Women buy men there.
2007-04-26 09:02:06 · answer #9 · answered by ring 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Mosuo of China and the Minangkabau of West Sumatraare are still in existence.
2007-04-26 09:06:26 · answer #10 · answered by Sun: supporting gay rights 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋