essay

Nayar: north Kerala

matrilineal kinshipBerkeley • Published In 1961 • Pages: 385-404, 746-748

By: Gough, Kathleen.

Abstract
This work on the Nayar caste of northern Kerala provides an analysis of kinship and matrilineal descent, coupled with an account of Nayar political structure. An introductory sketch of Kerala ecology and geography, and a brief discussion of the economic and political systems of northern Kerala are followed by an intensive study of Nayar matrilineal units—clans, subclans, lineages and property groups. This, in turn, is followed by a comparative study of developments and changes in the social organization and property systems between northern and central Kerala. The study concludes with an examination of specific kinship relations including matrilineal kin, marriage, the father and his kin, and affines; a list of kinship terms completes the section.
Subjects
Castes
Classes
Community structure
Community councils
Tillage
Settlement patterns
Kin relationships
Avuncular and nepotic relatives
Regulation of marriage
Lineages
Clans
Artificial kin relationships
Residence
Special unions and marriages
Kinship regulation of sex
Purification and atonement
Household
Extended families
Nuclear family
Polygamy
Inheritance
culture
Kerala
HRAF PubDate
2017
Region
Asia
Sub Region
South Asia
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle; 1964-1968
Field Date
1947-1949
Coverage Date
1730-1949
Coverage Place
northern Kerala, India
Notes
Kathleen Gough
Includes bibliographical references (p. 746-748)
LCCN
61007523
LCSH
Kerala (India)