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
- Who developed the concept of ‘seed and earth' as a way to understand the gendered division of labour and cultural construction of gender?
- Which of the following option(s) is/are CORRECT?
- Flavia Agnes (2013) writes, “Despite all the positive impact of the campaign revolving it, the Delhi gang rape incident does not foreground the different types of violations that take place in our society. Rather, it reinforces the popular perception that rape takes place in lonely places, late at night, by strangers and that rapists are brutes or psychopaths who deserve to be hanged. But most rapes take place in the privacy of our homes, in our schools. Rapes by family members are seldom reported."
From the above excerpt, which of the following statement(s) is/are CORRECT?
i. Progressive mobilisations protesting violence against women can themselves reproduce patriarchy
ii. Contrary to popular perception, sexual violence against women happens only in the privacy of our homes
iii. According to popular perception, rapists are brutes or psychopaths Patriliny is a kinship term that refers to_________.
- Which of the following author(s) highlighted the connection between kinship terminology and kinship structure in India?
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