Re: What Matriarchy? (was Drugs etc.)
Solomon Taibi (taibi@inil.com)
Thu, 18 Jul 1996 22:45:37 GMT
Sisial@ix.netcom.com wrote:
>Matri- from the Latin mater (mother).
>-arch from Latin arches (ruler)
>Matriarchy has been defined as any social system which utilizes
>matrilineal decent.
I am not an anthropologist, but I am a Jew and therefore know that
this is not correct.
Judaism is very definitely a patriarchal religion and culture, yet
one's status as a Jew (if not a convert) is determined by matrilineal
descent. On the other hand, one's family and tribal identities are
determined by patrilineal descent, but most Jews in modern
times (including myself) have no knowlege of their tribal
identities (there are notable exceptions).
Indeed, one of the main points of contention between
Orthodox Jews and "modern" Judaism is that the modernists
recognize patrilineal descent and decry patriarchy.
Judaism is traditionally a matrilineal patriarchy. I understand the
anthropological term is "bilineal", not to be confused with
"bilateral" where both sides of the family are not only considered
equal but alike (the general trend of Western civilization).
--
S. Taibi
Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks
into spears: Let the weak say 'I am strong'. (Joel 3:10)
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