matrilinealisia

Matrilinealisia, or matrilineality, is a kinship and descent system in which genealogical ties, inheritance, and family membership are traced through the mother's line. In matrilineal societies, children belong to their mother's lineage, and property and social status may be inherited through female descendants. It is not the same as matriarchy; women do not automatically rule society, and men can hold authority in various spheres.

Matrilineality coexists with diverse residence patterns; in some societies, married couples live with the wife's family (matrilocal residence), while in others nuclear or bilocal arrangements occur. Descent groups form kin networks that influence marriage, inheritance, ritual roles, and political organization. The concept helps explain why lineage ties may persist across generations even when individual households change.

Prominent examples include the Minangkabau of West Sumatra, Indonesia, often described as the world's largest matrilineal society, in which property and family names pass through the female line and women hold central roles in kinship networks. The Khasi of Meghalaya in India maintain matrilineal clans and inheritance through the mother's line. The Akan of Ghana rely on matrilineal descent for lineage and inheritance, with the maternal uncle playing a key guardianship and advisory role. The Mosuo of the Yunnan region in China have historically organized households around the mother's family and trace lineage through women.

Today, many matrilineal communities face pressures from modernization, legal changes, and globalization. Some maintain strong matrilineal practices in family life and property, while others adopt mixed or patrilineal arrangements. Anthropologists study matrilineality to understand how kinship, gender, and economic systems interact across cultures.