The survival story of Aliyasantana, Karnataka’s matrilineal system

A matrilineal system in India is a phenomenon on its own and a rarity in the largely patriarchal Indian family system.

The Aliyasantana is predominantly followed by two communities, the Bunt community and the Billava community.

However, it exists only at a symbolic level in the region among specific communities.

The Aliyasantana system is followed in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, a district to the north of Malabar and to the west of Mysuru and Kodagu.

With the Arabian Sea to its west and Uttara Kannada to its north, lies the district of Dakshina Kannada preserving this ancient tradition.

Tales of Aliyasantana

Among the many tales about the origin of Aliyasantana system, one can be traced back to the 77 AD.

It is said that the system was established by a King named Bhutala Pandya who inherited his kingdom from his maternal uncle and later was succeeded by his nephew.

Many historians, however, oppose this theory.

Kannada Lecturer Raghuram told South First, “There is no clarity behind the Bhutala Pandya story, but it is widely popular among the locals. The story is adapted into various art forms like Yakshagana and theatre, but no factual data exists to prove it.”

Daughters are for the dead

Recently, in a small village in the Kundapura town of Udupi district, a family celebrated the arrival of a baby girl after 15 years.

Devaki, a daughter of a Aliyasantana household told South First, “The arrival of a baby girl is very important for us as she carries forward our family name. Only daughters in the family are allowed to prepare and offer a mortuary feast for the dead. Sadly, that is the only significance that the Aliyasantana retains now.”

Devaki has six sisters and three brothers.

After the death of the matriarch of the family, their grandmother, even though her mother was the head of the house, they were financially supported by their maternal uncles who took care of the house.

While the brother were all married before, the uncles took up the responsibility to get all the sisters married.

The maternal uncles also stayed with Devaki’s mother till the end of their lives.

“If we go by the tradition, my sisters should have stayed at home, but all my sisters moved out after they got married and now live in Mumbai, including the eldest daughter who is the head of the house,” said Devaki.

“My eldest sister has a family of her own and only visits once a year. But we don’t make any decisions without consulting her. I got married to a farmer from the neighbouring village, so I have lived alone in this house since my mother’s death,” Devaki added.

She also said that most of the houses in the village are empty and only have one daughter who takes care of the entire house and the farm.

The others in the family only help them financially and pay little to no attention to them otherwise.

Marriages in Aliyasantana

In Aliyasantana, the eldest male member is called ‘Yejaman’, and the oldest female member is called ‘Yejamanthi’.

The senior-most member, whether male or female, is entitled to carry on the family management.

The family is headed by the maternal uncle in the absence of an elderly female member who has the right to decide for the family.

Under this system, the wife and her kids are part of one family whereas the husband belongs to a different family.

The husband can choose to either live with his wife in her house or live alone.

The daughters would carry forward the family’s name and the son’s children are not considered a part of the family, therefore have not rights of inheritance.

While inter-caste marriages are allowed in the community, including consanguineous marriages, marriages between the same ‘gotra’ are prohibited.

They do have Kanyadaan, a ritual in Hindu marriages which signifies the giving away of the bride to the groom by the family of the bride.

Usually, as per Hindu rituals, Kanyadaan is done by pouring sacred water with Tulsi leaves which signifies the new bond between the bride and her new family and cutting off of the ties with her birth family.

In the Aliyasantana communities, however, they avoid using the Tulsi leaves during the Kanyadaan as they follow a matriarchal lineage.

The bride returns to her family after spending some time with her husband at his house post-marriage. She has the liberty to come and go as she wishes.

If there is a death in the husband’s family, the wife and kids are not required to follow the mourning rituals.

Similarly, the husbands are barred from the mourning period for any deaths occurring in the wives’ families.

Inheritance in Aliyasantana

India, barring a few places in the North East, mostly follows the patrilineal system where men are the centres of power in the family. They are the inheritors and it is through them that the family lineage passes on.

Starkly opposite to this is the Aliyasantana system where the inheritance is passed down through the women in the family. They are vested with the highest power, respect, and responsibility in the family.

No member has the right to claim partition without approval from the head of the family in the Aliyasantana system.

The female member of the family and her children, irrespective of their gender, have a share in the ancestral property.

According to the system, the unborn child of a pregnant family member will also be included in the nomination during the distribution of property.

A male member of the family gets his share in the property as well, but his children and wife do not have any claim on the inheritance.

Vishwanath Shetty, a high court lawyer told South First, “Before 1962, under Aliyasantana Act, if a male member died before partition, his inheritance was not shared with his wife or children, but this was amended and now the wife or the next of kin can claim a dead father’s share.”

After the amendments, now, a member has the right to own separate possession of his share without the concurrence of other members and can also separate oneself from the family and claim partition, Shetty said.

Marumakkathayam in Kerala

Marumakkathayam is one other matrilineal system in South India and was practiced in some parts of Kerala.

The word directly translates to “inheritance through sister’s children” as opposed to sons and daughters.

This matrilineal system was followed by a considerable section in south Kerala and the districts of Malabar, and even in Dakshin Kannada.

It is followed by non-Brahmin castes — Nairs and Thiyyas, and other cognate castes.

Kaleeswaram Raj, a Supreme court lawyer who authored the book ‘Commentaries on Marumakkathayam law’ told South First, “ Marumakkathayam Act 1932, defined as the system of inheritance in which descent is traced by females, was abolished by The Joint Family System (Abolition) Act, 1975, by the Kerala State Legislature.”

He also said this act only affected the Hindus’ and added that many Muslims, to this day, follow this practice and pass inheritance through the women in the household.

The Aliyasantana and Marumakattayam systems practiced in Kerala by the Nairs are said to be the only systems of inheritance where the property is passed down the female line, giving property rights to women.

Another popular belief is that the men in these communities were warriors who stayed away from homes leaving behind the women to lead in their absence.