Re:Esrolia, Matriarchy, Iroquois

From: John Hughes <nysalor_at_...>
Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2001 12:22:19 +1100


Gedday Folks

Mark makes quick work of one of my generalised statements about matriliny.

I said: For children, 'father' may be a relatively distant
> and
> unimportant figure, while 'Uncle' (Mother's Brother) will take very
> close
> care of them.<<

to which Mark responded:

> But if the husband goes to live with the wifes clan, which I believe
> is the case in Esrolia, the uncle himself would be sent off to live
> with his wife's clan and wouldn't be around to raise his sisters
> kids. Or is there some custom in which, say, the oldest brother
> doesn't marry and stays with his mothers clan throughout his life?

You're spot on with this Mark. The exact status and role of 'father' will obviously vary according to individual circumstances. There are a couple of different possibilities - kinship systems are not absolute, they modify and adapt according to the needs of the people who utilise them.

'Uncle' may refer to a broader category of kin than just 'Mother's Brother' - it may mean all the adult males of the mother's matrilineal corporation.

If Esrolian marriage is as versatile as Heortling, then there will be different types of marriage and residence arrangements available, and perhaps matrilocal residence is more honoured in theory than practice. There are always alternatives for the key male members of the corporation: remaining 'unmarried', bring their wives 'home', or otherwise manage to stay close to 'corporate headquarters'. If divorce is fairly common, men may retrurn home right through their lives. It suggests a new way of thinking about life and marriage - which is half the fun.

Also (something I didn't think through properly), perhaps Esrolian women *are* in control of kinship and politics in ways rarely seen in our own history, and so the role of both husband and uncle is less important. The sister-brother bond will still be central for identity and continuity, but the arrangements around it will have been adapted to a uniquely Esrolian resolution.

Matrilineal societies are usually found in agricultural societies (Esrolia, tick) that have high agricultural productivity permitting sedentary residence of large groups of people (Esrolia, tick) and have a division of labour where women perform many of the key agricultural tasks (Esrolia, to a certain extent). Sizeable communities will typically contain several matrilineages or matrilineal clans clustered together, so 'uncle' can stay close to his sister's child without effort.

Kinship serves people - people do not serve abstract kinship systems. Any system will evolve to meet the needs of the people who need it. Esrolian kinship systems (and their will be many forms) will be uniquely Esrolian, and reflect Esrolia's agricultural lifestyle, the predominance of women in political and ceremonial positions, its religion and environment.

Cheers

John


nysalor_at_...                  John Hughes

My girl is the queen of ten villages
We live on the fruits of her pillages
She eats other queens - she's very religious She doesn't use a fork
I don't think I'll go back to XXX XXXX Stead Hawk.

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