Matriarchal

=**Matriarchal**=

A matriarchal society is one under the charge of a dominant female. Matriarchal societies operate by a matrilineal system, where descent is traced through the female side. However, a society must have powerful women to be considered matriarchal rather than just matrilineal. Judaism is a notable matrilineal society. It was important that the mother was Jewish because before paternity testing, the only way to be sure that the baby was Jewish was to know that the mother was Jewish. Judaism is not matriarchal, though, because the households and communities are run by men. In a matriarchal society, mothers and daughters do not leave their extended family when they marry. The women have control over the goods of the communities, most of which are agricultural. But when societies came to accept agriculture, they usually turned to patriarchy as the males began to assert dominance. Like all systems of organizations, matriarchies take on different qualities with varying cultures. Egypt had a period of matriarchy during which the daughters inherited the royal throne and the female gods ruled supreme. As time passed, brother-sister marriages allowed the males to reassert their dominance. Matriarchal societies that still exist today include the Tan of China, the Ainu of Japan, and the Berbers of North Africa.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/matriarchal http://www.second-congress-matriarchal-studies.com/goettnerabendroth.html http://www.answers.com/topic/matriarchy Whitney Soble, How DNA Began, Duke TIP Program, July 20, 2008

Unit 1 Terms

Created by: Becca Ellison September 1, 2008 Edited by Kelly Herring (September 2, 2008) Edited by: Frances Grimball Editedby Christina Oelsner 9/4/08 September 3, 2008