Matriliny
Also called: Matrilineal descent · Topic: Society in Early India: Kinship, Varna-Jati, Women · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "Kinship, Caste and Class - Early Societies"
Meaning
Matriliny means tracing descent through the mother rather than the father. Its opposite is patriliny, where descent and property pass from father to son. In early India, Brahmanical texts upheld patriliny as the ideal. Historians therefore look closely at any sign of descent through the mother.
Example
Satavahana kings (c. 2nd century BCE – 2nd century CE) used metronymics, names taken from the mother. One example is raja Gotami-puta Siri-Satakani, meaning "son of Gotami". Yet the throne still passed from father to son, so the Satavahanas were not matrilineal.
Don't confuse with
- Metronymic: a name taken from the mother. Using one does not prove that descent or power passed through women.
- Patriliny: descent from father to son. This was the norm in Brahmanical texts and in Satavahana succession.