Well, that’s a title for you. It took a bit of practice before I could even pronounce Matrilineal without tripping over my tongue.
Reading between the lines and trying to strip away Roman influence from the writings about the ancient Bretons, I began to develop a theory about what kind of culture these people lived. I started by combing the internet, searching under “Matriarch” and “Matrilineal.” I knew there were islands in the pacific where the women had great influence. They were the wise ones and often, if not battle commanders, they were at least held in great respect. So I wondered where else I might find woman centered cultures. To my surprise, one of the first sites to pop up pointed me to…
EGYPT!
According to an article by Nancy Luomala, “Matrilineal Reinterpretation of Some Egyptian Sacred Cows,” (http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/imageswomen/luomala.html ), rights of inheritance to the throne of Egypt came through the female line. The eldest daughter of the queen would be the Throne Princess. Her brother or husband would serve as king – or Pharoah.
Remember the movie, “The Ten Commandments,” with Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner? They were both vying for the hand of Nefertiri, the throne princess. Whoever married her would be the next Pharoah! What do you know! Hollywood actually got something right for a change.
The more I studied, the more convinced I became that my theory was correct. I found matrilineal cultures everywhere: the Pacific Islands, the Middle East, among the Indian tribes of the Americas. Everywhere! So why not Scotland and Wales?
Why would the mother be so important? Well, think about it. In a culture based on rights of inheritance, where you had to be sure about bloodlines and knowing your tribe and rights, the lineage of a child to a mother is absolute. No DNA tests are required. If your mother belongs to the Wolf Tribe, so do you. If your mother is of royal birth, from a royal mother, so are you. Did you know that even today, if your mother is Jewish, you are Jewish? If your father is Jewish, but your mother a Gentile, guess what, you are Gentile too.
In the Americas, many native aboriginal tribes are also matriarchal such as the Huron, Hopi, Navajo, Iroquois Confederacy, Cherokee and others. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrilineality)Though it was a man who sat in councils as a chief, it was the wise woman of the tribe who sat behind him and made sure he was following the agreed upon counsel. When you are born, you are of your father’s tribe, but you belong to your mother’s tribe. It is considered incestuous to marry within your mother’s tribe, even to the 6th, 7th, 8th cousin removed. But if you marry your first cousin on your father’s side, it’s OK!
Let’s get back to ancient Egypt. It is true that many Pharoahs married their throne princess sisters, but according to Nancy Luomala, these relationships were not incestuous.
“There is no evidence that the queen would have sexual relations with her brother-king. The sister and brother of the ruling pair could each have a consort or consorts for sexual relations, but these spouses were not included in the possession and transmission of property. The queen did have intercourse with her consort-king and the resulting female progeny constituted the royal line, earning the title of ‘Royal Mother’ by right of birth.” (http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/imageswomen/luomala.html)
In other words, the only thing that was important was having a baby daughter to be the next throne princess. That sounds like the Pictish people! Or do the Picts sound like Egyptians!
The most interesting find was an actual, living matrilineal culture that was flourishing in Indonesia. They are the Minangkabau peoples, an extensive and influential ethnic group. Here’s how they function.
All property is owned by the women and is passed on from mother to daughter, with the expectation that the oldest daughter who inherits the house, will take care of her parents in their old age. When a couple marry, the young man leaves his parents house and moves in with his bride’s family.
Though the property is owned by the women, they appoint a male relative, usually a maternal nephew, to run the business. If they do not like how he is managing their affairs, they will fire him and hire another male relative to run the business or oversee the property. The young men are expected to get an education so they can run these businesses effectively. Other young men are educated to become their priests and teachers. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minangkabau) This is how they have meshed well with Islam. Most Minangs are Muslim, a very patriarchal religion. The women own the property, but the men run it.
As I’ve pointed out before, our western civilization was and still is heavily influenced by the strongly patriarchal Greeks and Romans. Therefore, you and I may have difficulty in understanding this very different culture. But if we can – if we can open our minds to these ideas of Matriarchy and Matrilineal Rights of Inheritance, the world of King Arthur may become more understandable, more reachable. We may be able to move the stories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table from the realm of mere myth and legend into the world of probably reality.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
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