TheCatholicCrow
Inkling
As I was rereading some of my old stories I noticed that I frequently fall back on using patriarchal societies (though I'm now trying to change it up by including a matriarchal one in my WIP). Like most Americans I have a tendency to lean towards patrilineal (rather than matrilineal) societies as well.
Anyway, it occurred to me that everyone in my stories would produce a very simple kinship chart where they only marry others outside of their own families (often from other villages or regions- but I like my peasants to be more mobile than reality would allow).
In the future I would like to shake things up a bit and perhaps build a world where (first or second) cousin marriages are standard and perhaps even with matrilineal clans where the children belong to the mother's family and the husband might not even move in with her (and her family)- in which case the mother's brothers assume primary paternal roles and ensure there are adequate resources for the maternal family unit. (Does this make sense? It would be based on the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra.)
It got me thinking about Kinship and inheritance and so I was just wondering ... how complex do you make your world and the cultures in it? I'd love to hear all about it
Anyway, it occurred to me that everyone in my stories would produce a very simple kinship chart where they only marry others outside of their own families (often from other villages or regions- but I like my peasants to be more mobile than reality would allow).
In the future I would like to shake things up a bit and perhaps build a world where (first or second) cousin marriages are standard and perhaps even with matrilineal clans where the children belong to the mother's family and the husband might not even move in with her (and her family)- in which case the mother's brothers assume primary paternal roles and ensure there are adequate resources for the maternal family unit. (Does this make sense? It would be based on the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra.)
It got me thinking about Kinship and inheritance and so I was just wondering ... how complex do you make your world and the cultures in it? I'd love to hear all about it
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