Editing Matrilineality (section)

===Africa ===
==== Akan ====
{{Main|Akan people|Abusua}}
Some 20 million [[Akan people|Akan]] live in Africa, particularly in [[Ghana]] and [[Ivory Coast]].  (See as well their subgroups, the [[Ashanti people|Ashanti]], also called Asante, [[Akyem]], [[Bono people|Bono]], [[Fante people|Fante]], [[Akwamu]].) Many but not all of the Akan still (2001)<ref name="2001book">{{Cite book |last=Witte |first=Marleen de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fmf5UqZzbvoC&dq=Abusua&pg=PA52 |title=Long Live the Dead!: Changing Funeral Celebrations in Asante, Ghana |date=2001 |publisher=Aksant Academic Publishers |isbn=978-90-5260-003-1 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Studies|first=University of Ghana Institute of African|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4FuWXpYixYUC&q=akan+matrilineal+inheritance|title=Research Review - Institute of African Studies|date=1988|publisher=Institute of African Studies.|language=en}}</ref> practice their traditional matrilineal customs, living in their traditional [[extended family]] households, as follows.  The traditional Akan economic, political and social organization is based on maternal lineages, which are the basis of inheritance and succession.  A lineage is defined as all those related by [[matrilineal descent]] from a particular ancestress.  Several lineages are grouped into a ''political unit'' headed by a chief and a council of elders, each of whom is the elected head of a lineage – which itself may include multiple extended-family households.  Public offices are thus vested in the lineage, as are land tenure and other lineage property.  In other words, lineage property is inherited only by matrilineal kin.<ref name=2001book /><ref name=encyBr>Busia, Kofi Abrefa (1970). ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 1970.  William Benton, publisher, The University of Chicago. {{ISBN|0-85229-135-3}}, Vol. 1, p. 477.  (This Akan article was written by Kofi Abrefa Busia, formerly professor of Sociology and Culture of Africa at the University of Leiden, Netherlands.)</ref>

"The principles governing inheritance stress sex, generation and age – that is to say, men come before women and seniors before juniors." When a woman's brothers are available, a consideration of generational seniority stipulates that the line of brothers be exhausted before the right to inherit lineage property passes down to the next senior genealogical generation of sisters' sons. Finally, "it is when all possible male heirs have been exhausted that the females" may inherit.<ref name=com.au />

Each lineage controls the lineage land farmed by its members, functions together in the veneration of its ancestors, supervises marriages of its members, and settles internal disputes among its members.<ref>Owusu-Ansah, David (November 1994). http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field%28DOCID+gh0048%29, "Ghana: The Akan Group". This source, "Ghana", is one of the Country Studies available from the US Library of Congress. Archived https://archive.today/20120710173040/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+gh0048) on 10 July 2012.</ref>

The political units above are likewise grouped into eight larger groups called ''[[abusua]]'' (similar to [[clan]]s), named Aduana, Agona, Asakyiri, Asenie, Asona, Bretuo, Ekuona and Oyoko.  The members of each ''abusua'' are united by their belief that they are all descended from the same ancient ancestress. Marriage between members of the same ''abusua'' is forbidden. One inherits or is a lifelong member of the lineage, the political unit, and the ''abusua'' of one's mother, regardless of one's gender and/or marriage. Note that members and their spouses thus belong to different ''abusuas'', mother and children living and working in one household and their husband/father living and working in a different household.<ref name=2001book /><ref name=encyBr />

According to this source<ref name=com.au>ashanti.com.au (before 2010). http://ashanti.com.au/pb/wp_8078438f.html, "Ashanti Home Page: The Ashanti Family unit" Archived https://web.archive.org/web/20070626101235/http://www.ashanti.com.au/pb/wp_8078438f.html on 26 June 2007.</ref> of further information about the Akan, "A man is strongly related to his mother's brother (wɔfa) but only weakly related to his father's brother. This must be viewed in the context of a [[polygamous]] society in which the mother/child bond is likely to be much stronger than the father/child bond. As a result, in inheritance, a man's nephew (sister's son) will have priority over his own son.  Uncle-nephew relationships therefore assume a dominant position."<ref name=com.au />

Certain other aspects of the Akan culture are determined [[patrilineally]] rather than matrilineally. There are 12 patrilineal [[Ntoro]] (which means spirit) groups, and everyone belongs to their father's Ntoro group but not to his (matrilineal) family lineage and ''abusua''.  Each patrilineal Ntoro group has its own surnames,<ref>de Witte (2001), p. 55 shows such surnames in a [[family tree]], which provides a useful example of names.</ref> taboos, ritual purifications, and etiquette.<ref name=encyBr />

A recent (2001) book<ref name=2001book /> provides this update on the Akan: Some families are changing from the above ''abusua'' structure to the [[nuclear family]].<ref name="de Witte 2001, p. 53">de Witte (2001), p. 53.</ref> Housing, childcare, education, daily work, and elder care etc. are then handled by that individual family rather than by the ''abusua'' or clan, especially in the city.<ref>de Witte (2001), p. 73.</ref> The above taboo on marriage within one's abusua is sometimes ignored, but "clan membership" is still important,<ref name="de Witte 2001, p. 53"/> with many people still living in the ''abusua'' framework presented above.<ref name=2001book />

====Guanches====
{{Main|Guanches}}
The [[Berbers|Berber]] inhabitants of [[Gran Canaria]] island had developed a matrilineal society by the time the [[Canary Islands]] and their people, called [[Guanches]], were conquered by the Spanish.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eK28BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA8|title=An Archaeology of the Margins: Colonialism, Amazighity and Heritage Management in the Canary Islands|last=Jose Farrujia de la Rosa|first=Augusto|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|year=2014|isbn=9781461493969|pages=8|language=en}}</ref>

==== Serer ====
{{Main|Serer maternal clans}}
The [[Serer people]] of [[Senegal]], the [[Gambia]] and [[Mauritania]] are patrilineal (''simanGol'' in [[Serer language]]<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [[Simone Kalis|Kalis, Simone]], "Médecine traditionnelle religion et divination chez les Seereer [[Kingdom of Sine|Sine]] du [[Senegal]]", La connaissance de la nuit, L'Harmattan (1997), p 299, {{ISBN|2-7384-5196-9}}</ref>) as well as matrilineal (''tim''<ref name="Serer 1">[[Marguerite Dupire|Dupire, Marguerite]], "Sagesse [[Serer people|sereer]] : Essais sur la pensée [[Ndut people|sereer ndut]], KARTHALA Editions (1994). For ''tim'' and ''den yaay'' (see p. 116). The book also deals in depth about the Serer matriclans and means of succession through the matrilineal line. See also pages : 38, 95–99, 104, 119–20, 123, 160, 172–4 {{in lang|fr}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=Fag2wuiV7t8C&q=Sagesse+sereer:essais+sur+la+pense+sereer+ndut] {{ISBN|2865374874}} (Retrieved : 4 August 2012)</ref>). There are several [[Serer maternal clans|Serer matriclans]] and [[:Category:Serer matriarchs|matriarchs]]. Some of these matriarchs include [[Lingeer Fatim Beye|Fatim Beye]] (1335) and [[Lingeer Ndoye Demba|Ndoye Demba]] (1367) – matriarchs of the [[Joos Maternal Dynasty|Joos matriclan]] which also became a dynasty in [[Waalo]] (Senegal). Some [[matriclan]]s or maternal clans form part of [[Serer history (medieval era to present)|Serer medieval]] and [[:Category:Serer royalty|dynastic]] history, such as the [[Guelowar]]s. The most revered clans tend to be rather ancient and form part of [[Serer ancient history]]. These [[Timeline of Serer history|proto-Serer]] clans hold great significance in [[Serer religion]] and [[Serer creation myth|mythology]]. Some of these proto-Serer matriclans include the ''Cegandum'' and ''Kagaw'', whose historical account is enshrined in Serer religion, mythology and [[traditions]].<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [[Henry Gravrand|Gravrand, Henry]], "La Civilisation Sereer – Cosaan", p 200, Nouvelles Editions africaines (1983), {{ISBN|2723608778}}</ref>

In Serer culture, inheritance is both matrilineal and patrilineal.<ref name="Serer 2"/> It all depends on the asset being inherited – i.e. whether the asset is a paternal asset – requiring paternal inheritance (''kucarla''<ref name="Serer 2"/> ) or a maternal asset – requiring maternal inheritance (''den yaay''<ref name="Serer 1"/> or ''ƭeen yaay''<ref name="Serer 2">{{in lang|fr}} Becker, Charles: "Vestiges historiques, trémoins matériels du passé clans les pays sereer", Dakar (1993), CNRS – ORS TO M. [http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_5/b_fdi_01/010014636.pdf Excerpt] (Retrieved : 4 August 2012)</ref>). The actual handling of these maternal assets (such as jewelry, land, livestock, equipment or furniture, etc.) is discussed in the subsection [[Serer maternal clans#Role of the Tokoor|Role of the Tokoor]] of one of the above-listed main articles.

==== Tuareg ====
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{{Main|Tuareg people}}
The [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] (Arabic:طوارق, sometimes spelled Touareg in French, or Twareg in English) are a large [[Berbers|Berber]] ethnic confederation found across several nations in north Africa, including [[Niger]], [[Mali]] and [[Algeria]]. The Tuareg are ''clan''-based,<ref name=Haven07>Haven, Cynthia (23 May 07). http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2007/pr-tuareg-052307.html, "New exhibition highlights the 'artful' Tuareg of the Sahara," Stanford University. Archived https://archive.today/20121210143001/http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2007/pr-tuareg-052307.html on 10 December 2012.</ref> and are (still, in 2007) "largely matrilineal".<ref name=Haven07/><ref name=Spain92>Spain, Daphne (1992). ''Gendered Spaces''. University of North Carolina Press. {{ISBN|0-8078-2012-1}}; p. 57.</ref><ref name=Review66>{{cite journal |last1=Murphy |first1=Robert F. |title=Review of Ecology and Culture of the Pastoral Tuareg, with Particular Reference to the Tuareg of Ahaggar and Ayr |journal=American Anthropologist |date=1966 |volume=68 |issue=2 |pages=554–556 |doi=10.1525/aa.1966.68.2.02a00540 |jstor=669389 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The Tuareg are [[Muslim]], but mixed with a "heavy dose" of their pre-existing beliefs including matriliny.<ref name=Haven07/><ref name=Review66/>

Tuareg women enjoy high status within their society, compared with their [[Arab]] counterparts and with other Berber tribes: Tuareg social status is transmitted through women, with residence often [[Matrilocal residence|matrilocal]].<ref name=Spain92/> Most women could read and write, while most men were illiterate, concerning themselves mainly with herding livestock and other male activities.<ref name=Spain92/> The livestock and other movable property were owned by the women, whereas personal property is owned and inherited regardless of gender.<ref name=Spain92/> In contrast to most other Muslim cultural groups, men wear veils but women do not.<ref name=Haven07/><ref name=Review66/> This custom is discussed in more detail in the Tuareg article's [[Tuareg people#Clothing|clothing section]], which mentions it may be the protection needed against the blowing sand while traversing the [[Sahara|Sahara desert]].<ref>Bradshaw Foundation (2007 or later). http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/tuareg/index.php, "The Tuareg of the Sahara". Archived at https://archive.today/20120720193456/http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/tuareg/index.php on 20 July 2012.</ref>