Marumakkathayam

How exactly was the concept of marumakkathayam in practise as opposed to the theory? What was the ground reality amongst the communty members which practised this system?

Can someone elaborate on how the sambandams were made or arranged and if there were multiple sambandams how was it all organised so that there were no conflicts of any kind?

Originally Posted by psd1955

How exactly was the concept of marumakkathayam in practise as opposed to the theory? What was the ground reality amongst the communty members which practised this system?

Can someone elaborate on how the sambandams were made or arranged and if there were multiple sambandams how was it all organised so that there were no conflicts of any kind?

Hello
I came across this post the very first day you had posted, but refused to reply as I do not have much information on this and was hoping somebody would reply......Since nobody has said anything, I though I would share with you what I know of it. Marumakkathayam is a very old system, common among Nair families in Kerala, where the inheritance of the property is followed down the line through the women. Here women were regarded more highly than the sons. Those days, the entire family used to live in a Tharavad and the oldest member(male) is known as the Karnavar. Inspite of the oldest child of a parent being a male, the property would still go to the daugher and her children or divided among the daughters and their children.

Also the children would belong to the mother's family. They would carry the mother's family name / tharavad name as their initials. Those days family name was very important as that was how people where addressed and known. This system is not followed these days very much and slowly vanishing. I am from a marumakkathayam family and my husband is also from one. We carry our mother's initials in our names. I have not changed it after getting married.

Hope I have been able to convey the little bit of info that I have, to you properly.

Thank you for your kind reply. Can you tell me how long it lasted and which period in Kerala's history? Will you term the concept a failure?.....and it served its purpose only owing to the social and political conditions prevailing at that time.
Thank you
psd

I can find the details out for you if you like....My personal opinion on if it is a failure or not ?? Well it is not being followed now, so I guess the system has failed or failing. But I dont see why it should fail. I dont see what is wrong...These days the tharavad style of living does not happen and everybody is moving away or abroad, and have changed along with how the rest of the society around us lives.

I will try and get some info on this for you. But just curious, why you brought up this topic? Its good learning excercise for me too !!

Thank you!

I would surely appreciate more info on marumakkhatayam as it was actually in vogue.

It all started when I started reflecting on social happenings around me... for instance...female infanticide, dowry, divorces and general helplessness of women in our society esp., the economically weaker sections.

It so happened that a friend mentioned about marumakkathayam which he said had its own merits.... at least as far as empowerment of women was concerned.

Regards
Pradeep

Hi Pradeep,
Your post raised curiosity in me about marumakkathayam and I did a google search on it.
"The oldest male member was known as the karanavar and was the head of the household and managed the family estate. Lineage was traced through the mother, and the children "belonged" to the mother's family. All family property was jointly owned. In the event of a partition, the shares of the children were clubbed with that of the mother. The karanavar's property was inherited by his nephews and not his sons.
[i]The Marumakkathayam system is not very common in Kerala these days for many reasons. Kerala society has become much more cosmopolitan and modern. Men seek jobs away from their hometown and take their wives and children along with them. In this scenario, a joint-family system is not viable. However, there are still a few tharavads that pay homage to this system. In some families, the children carry the last name of their mother instead of the father, and are considered part of the mother's family, and not the father's. Tharavadu names are quite an important element of social reckoning - though decreasing in importance these days. The Kerala rulers also followed the 'Marumakkathayam' system.

Thxxxxxx Ami for chipping in !!!..........what a relief !! I am glad what I told so far to Pradeep is along the lines of google info here. It never occurred to me to check Google God !!

Pradeep - I have still ended up asking some of my senior members in the family to see if they have some more interesting info. Will let you know what I find.

Hello Pradeep - The links given by Ami here are pretty much the info that I got too. I will copy/paste it for you anyway, just for reading purposes...I will post them in bits and not all in one...............

Marumakkathayam


Marumakkattayam (marumakan = nephew; dayam= inheritance/gift) is a matrilinear system of inheritance which was followed by castes of Kerala like Royal Families, Nayars, Ambalavasis, some Ezhava Families, some tribal groups and Mappilas in Kerala state, south India. Unlike other Brahmin families, Payanoor Nambootiris, followed Marumakkattayam. It was one of the few traditional systems that gave women some liberty, and the right to property. In the matrilinear system, the family lived together in a Tharavadu, which comprised of a mother, her brothers and younger sisters, and her children. The oldest male member was known as the karanavar and was the head of the household and managed the family estate. Lineage was traced through the mother, and the children "belonged" to the mother's family. All family property was jointly owned. An example is the former princely state of Tiruvitankoor, where the royal lineage passes from the king to his nephew, rather than his son.

Contd.....

Marumakkattayam among Nayars

The chief representatives, by lieu of their social standing and past research interest, of the castes practicing Marumakkattayam were the Nayars [1]. Their line of descent was traced from the common female ancestress, and it was not a man's own children, but his sister's sons who were his heirs. The family or tharavadu consisted of women living with their brothers and their children in one house. All family property, other than that acquired through individual exertions, belonged to the family jointly, and except through common consent, was indivisible. Each member was entitled to be maintained out of the profits of it, but not to sell or otherwise dispose of it. The management and control of all family property was vested in the eldest male, who is called the Karanavan. Even property individually acquired, although their own to deal with during their lifetime, could not be disposed of by will. On their death, such property merged into the family property. This state of affairs indicates the possibility that in an earlier “classical” form of marumakkattayam, the institution of marriage was absent and that the union of the sexes might simply have been a state of concubinage into which the woman entered out of her own choice, being at liberty to change her consort when and as often as she pleased.

Contd.......

Women in Marumakkattayam

The word Marumakkathayam itself is gender-neutral. It is not Matriarchy. To an extent, it is matrilineal, albeit male-centric. In social anthropology, matrilocal residence would best describe the practice. However, Marumakkathayam extends certain concessions to women, who were the carriers of the man’s family name and legacy. Unlike in many other Indian traditions, they were not considered unwanted births, to be married away and never to return. They were conferred a higher social status, they inherited family property and the family home. The sister of the man came first in affection and responsibility before his own "wife". They did not live in the otherwise common fear of the mother-in-law. At their husband’s homes, where they visited occasionally, they were treated as special guests. But, it still meant that their happiness was determined by the men folk, like many other social systems. Families without an elder male member felt a certain sense of insecurity.

Contd.......