essay

Nayar: central Kerala

Matrilineal kinshipBerkeleyPublished In 1961 • Pages: 298-384, 742-746

By: Gough, Kathleen.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This work on the Nayar caste of central Kerala presents an analysis of kinship and matrilineal descent, coupled with an account of Nayar political structure. A brief introduction dealing with the ecology and cultural history of the area is followed by a discussion of the various caste groups of central Kerala, its economic system, warfare and law, Nayar clan organization, lineages and property groups, interpersonal kinship relations (e.g. woman-son, father-daughter), marriage, prerequisites of the kinship system of commoners, kinship in the aristocratic matrilineal castes, a list of kinship terms, and changes in Nayar social organization. Primary emphasis is on a description of the lineage system and its function in society.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Castes
Rule of descent
Lineages
Kin relationships
Kinship terminology
Settlement patterns
Tillage
Cereal agriculture
Real property
Community structure
Community councils
External relations
Taxation and public income
Warfare
Form and rules of government
Military organization
Household
Polygamy
Family relationships
Basis of marriage
Regulation of marriage
Special unions and marriages
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Kerala
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2017
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Asia
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
South Asia
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
John Beierle; 1964-1968
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1947-1949
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1342-1949
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
central Kerala, India
NotesAdditional notes
Kathleen Gough
Includes bibliographical references (p. 742-746)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
61007523
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Kerala (India)