Re: What Matriarchy? (was Drugs etc.)
Lowell Morrison (lowell@troy.la.platsol.com)
21 Jul 1996 23:09:30 -0700
In article <31F0EF68.20EB@ix.netcom.com>, <Sisial@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>Lowell Morrison wrote:
>
>
>> You might want to recheck your dictionary, as the name suggests
>> Matriarchal IS where Women Rule, Matrilineal Descent is seen
>> among such tribes as the Hopi who are Patriarchal, the Uncle Rules
>> <Grin> the Family, and the Father is sort of a nescessary evil.
>
>I did check the dictionary. I've also tried to understand how the term
>came to be used for matrilineal. I think it comes from some mistaken
>concept that in a matrilineal group, the woman would rule the household.
The question is what dictionary did you check, My OED or the Dictionary
of Anthropological Terms does not list matrilineal as a possible
definition...
Using the Wrong References can be quite a source of confusion...
>
>> Problem is that you have the word Misdefined, and thus come to som
>> Some Incorrect Conclusions. Who decends from who is indeed one
>> asect of a social orginization, who Rules IS another measure.
>
>I am addressing the use of the word as meaning matrilineal, and the
>value of such usage in anthropology. I do not have the word misdefined,
>as I've tried to point out. I am merely examining the two usages of the
>word, as there seemed to be some dispute as to whether the word means
>this or that. I pointed out that the word has been used to mean this and
>that.
Sorry, but you clearly do have the word misidentified, thus your whole
analysis is flawed. Matralineal Societies have nothign persay to
do with Matriarchal Societies.... Most of them infact are
Patriarchal.
>
>OK. I went to the library and checked out an anthropology book.
>
>An Introduction to Cultural and Social Anthropology (in reference to
>matrilineal decent): "The residence rule and the rule of decent both
>reflect the greater adaptive importance of residence and inheritance
>through the group whose solidarity is most continuously important."
Yes, but this still does not tie to your major theses about
Matriarchal, indeed, it is just exactly what I said. They are
using Matrileaneal Rules to defind residency and Inheritance, not
Politial Power within the Household which is what Matriarchal
Implies.... Once again you have misread your own reference.
>Solidarity is relevant to matrilineal, and matrilineal is one concept
>for which matriarchy has been used.
So far you have not shown this, and your quote says quite the opposite
>> Right, no male or female descent required in this use of word, only
>> who rules the roost....
>
>This is where I indroduce the second usage of the word.
Which is an incorrect usage... So that is irrelivant....
>
>> The Key words is "how such a system might work", since there never was
>> such a system, they, mmmm, did a lot of arm waving and guessing....
>
>This is a bit harsh. As such a society does not exist, they really could
>not make use of evidence. But, there is a big difference between
>speculation (some scientific and some not) and guessing. There are
>plenty of examples of such organization among animals, and the
>anthropological models of social organization were detailed enough to
>allow for such speculation.
Not harsh at all, simply going the the Scientific Rules of Evidience
they were simply speculating, cause they had no evidence......
>My argument? I think you misunderstand my argument. I present in another
>post the four areas I was trying to cover. You state that I seem to want
>to equate lineage with ruling. Where did I do this?
>
You state that Matriarchal means Matralineal, Incorrect, Matriarch
is Women Ruling the Roost, Get your Terms straight...
>I point out that matriarchy 'has been' used to mean matrilineal. This is
>not my usage of the word.
You have not proven this, you just state this, and it disagrees with my
dictionaries, and my Anthro Books....
>As for the existance of matriarchies (matriarchate), they do exist. They
>just do not exist in human cultures.
Then what other Cultures are you talking about, those of the
Vulcans, or the Romulans? Antropology means the Study of Man, and
when you use Anthropological Terms such as Matralineal and Matriarchy
you are Refering to Societies of Men.........
OR, Human Cultures.....
<rest of post deleted for brevity>
--Uncle Wolf
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