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Question

Among the Toda of South India, property is inherited patrilineally and ritualistic privileges are inherited matrilineally. This is an example of _________ .

The correct answer is
bilateral descent

Toda Inheritance: Bilateral Descent Case Study

The inheritance customs of the Toda people in South India illustrate a specific form of kinship reckoning.

Toda Inheritance Types

  • Property: Inherited through the father's line (patrilineal).
  • Ritual Privileges: Inherited through the mother's line (matrilineal).

Bilateral Descent Explained

Bilateral descent is a system where ancestry and inheritance are traced through both the mother's and father's families. This contrasts with unilineal systems that focus on only one parental line.

Applying Bilateral Descent to Toda

The Toda practice combines both patrilineal inheritance for property and matrilineal inheritance for ritual rights. This dual tracing of descent through both the paternal and maternal lines makes it a clear example of bilateral descent.

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Important Questions from Indian Family, Marriage & Kinship

  1. Which of the following author(s) highlighted the connection between kinship terminology and kinship structure in India?
  2. Reena and Sheena are Hindi-speaking neighbours who grew up together. Reena refers to Sheena's mother as *mausi* (mother's sister). This is an example of which of the following kinship type(s)?
  3. In Hindu society, marriage of a widow to the husband's brother is referred to as ___________
  4. Which of the following institutions provides the structural link between caste and gender in kinship in India?

  5. Which statements express the ideas of A. M. Shah with regard to family and household in India?

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