People without the knowledge of their
history, origin, and culture are like trees without roots.
Like every other states, kerala is also
known for its rich culture and history. But otherthan coconuts and backwaters
something peculiar is the rich Matrilineal society of the land passed on by
great women like Sethu Lekshmi bhai, Queen unnimaya etc. Definitly the upcoming
feminist economy has a lot to do with the matrilineal society of the south.
Hailing from the same this is indeed a part of my past and someway or the other yours too, its my pride to take you all along with me through this untouched parts of history.
Kerala with its high social indices of
literacy, sex ratio and low female infanticides, it projects the image of a
progressive state, But ask the women who actually live there and they will have
a different story to tell. The supposed presence of matriarchy in its history
has earned Kerala the image of being a female-friendly state.
Let me be frank! a true matriarchal
society never existed in Kerala. Here, let me take you through a system that
came closest to giving women decision making power, autonomy over their
sexuality and their bodies and a control in the matters of their marriage
and children called matrilineal society.
So, What’s it all about?!
While India follows patriarchy, which is
a social system where men have monopoly over the social, cultural and political
realms of society and hold primary authority over women and children, what was
practised in some communities in Kerala was not a system diametrically opposite
to this. In the system of matrilineal society (not to be mistaken for
matriarchy) descent was traced through females and the succession of property
was from mothers to daughters. This is not to say that, under such a system men
became the oppressed gender. All it did was narrow down the gender gap that was
left behind by a patriarchal society
How did the matrilineal society come into
place?
The communities believed to have
practiced this system were the khasi in meghalya, Nayars of Cochin and
Travancore, the Ezhavas and
the Malabar
Muslims of northern Kerala. The most researched and
recorded among them have been the Nayar communities of central and southern
Kerala.
There are many contesting theories to
this question but the most widely accepted one purports that the origin of
this system is traced back to the time when the sole purpose of men was to
indulge in warfare, because shedding blood for your own land was considered to
be the truest purpose.
Since that is where the ‘honour’ was, that is where men went. Family,
succession, children and economic resources were left to women to take care of
simply because men had different priorities at the time.
What was it like to live in a matrilineal society?
Families lived together as joint families
in large mansions called ‘taravad‘.
Family members shared ownership over the property; this meant that no
individual could claim their share. Lineage was traced through females. Even
after marriage, the woman stayed at her ancestral home and it was the husband who
had to come stay in his wife’s house. This is not to say that this society was
devoid of patriarchal elements. For all intents and purposes the actual control
of the property and resources was in the hands of the maternal uncle known as
the ‘Karnavan’ who
had the final say in all matters.
So, why does this matrilineal society not exist anymore?
There were a multitude of factors that
pushed this society into decline, the primary being a shift in the role that
men played in the system. When the period of war and conflict ended and the men
returned to being members of the mainstream society, marriages became stronger
and more monogamous. The upper caste men got ‘modern English education’ which
was heavily influenced by the Victorian ‘family values’, where their own
culture was accused of being barbaric and uncivilised.
In the midst of all these changes, the women gradually
faded into the background. The image of a humble, virtuous wife with ‘lady like
qualities’ of being passive and submissive was glorified. Decades of this
attempt to retreat to patriarchal ‘values’ brings us to what these communities
are like today, not very different to any others you’ve seen. Kerala is
surrounded by states that have a strong culture of patriarchy, resulting in the
fading of matrilineal families it was obvious to see this transition.
Well! To be honest! Women in Kerala still enjoy a slightly higher education
stature compared to most women across the country. A few families still follow
the matrilineal tradition of carrying the mother's name throughout their life.
And we can see sprouting groups of feminist and controversies even among us.
Hence these past has a lot to do with the education to women and evolution of
gender equality in and out of the state and in and out of the minds.
Hence my intention was to share a piece of my past since it’s a privilege to keep track of where we belong because history and culture is the backbone to our existence.
Inspired by The Ivory Throne.
-Love and Light
Lekshmi S P
