168:, inherits all ancestral property. After marriage, husbands live in the mother-in-law's home. The mother's surname is taken by children. When no daughters are born to a couple, they adopt a daughter and pass their rights to property to her. The birth of a girl is celebrated while the birth of a son is simply accepted. There is no social stigma attributed to a woman remarrying or giving birth out of wedlock as the "Khasi Social Custom Lineage Act" gives security to them. Women are known to intermarry outside their tribe. The women who enjoy all the rights live an independent life, dress well, attend church, and many prefer not to get married. They enjoy total security, unlike in the rest of the country. A successful career women of the Khasi society feels that "their societal anomaly" has enabled her to be successful in every way. Most small businesses are managed by women.
22:
134:. The matrilineal tradition which the Khasi and other subgroups practice in Meghalaya is unique within India. Matrilineal principles among the Khasi are emphasised in myths, legends, and origin narratives. Khasi kings embarking on wars left the responsibility of running the family to women and thus their role in society became very deep rooted and respected. Reference to
171:
In 1994, Bina
Agarwal compared characteristic features between the Garo and Khasi. She reported that Garo practiced matrilineal inheritance, matrilocal post-marital residence, a preference for cross-cousin marriage, acceptance of pre-marital sex by women, but adultery by women is punished, while the
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Care of children is the responsibility of mothers or mothers-in-law. The youngest daughter of this society who inherits the ancestral property holds a pivotal role of looking after the welfare of her parents in their old age, as well as the welfare and education of her siblings.
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and duolocal post-marital residence (in which the husband lives in a separate house while the wife stays at her parents’ residence), an aversion to cross-cousin marriage, and again, acceptance of pre-marital sex by women, but adultery by women is punished.
192:(Societal Restructuring Association) to protect equal rights for men. They express that "Khasi men don’t have any security, they don’t own land, they don’t run the family business and, at the same time, they are almost good for nothing." However,
53:, among the Khasi people which is a term used as a blanket term for various subgroups in Meghalaya who have distinguishing languages, rites, ceremonies, and habits, but share an ethnic identity as
221:, which is the basic political arm of the tribes, women are not permitted to hold office. However, women feel that they take better care of money matters than men and they enjoy economic freedom.
260:
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Khasi are an ancient tribe said to be the "largest surviving matrilineal culture" in the world. who, along with other subgroups, such as Garo, live in
Meghalaya, as well as bordering areas of
65:, although it was reported in 2004 that they were losing some of their matrilineal traits. The tribes are said to belong to one of the "largest surviving matrilineal culture" in the world.
107:; Khasi is used as an umbrella phrase to refer to many subgroups in Meghalaya who have distinguishing languages, rites, ceremonies, and habits, but share an ethnic identity as
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While the society is matrilineal, it is not matriarchal. In past monarchies of the state, the son of the youngest sister of the king inherited the throne. Even now in the
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feels: "I tend to think Khasi men feel diminished in their manhood compared with outsiders... it's a pity, because that's what distinguishes us from the others".
70:"This system will survive because the people zealously guard this system. It has support from many quarters, including the indigenous religious systems.... The
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Some Khasi men perceive themselves to be accorded a secondary status. They have established societies such as the
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Women have a dominant role in the matrilineal society of
Meghalaya. The youngest daughter of the family, the
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57:(The Seven Huts) whereas the Garo people refers to the various groups of Achik people. The Khasi,
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295:"The ancient Indian tribe where the women are in charge and activists lobby for men's rights"
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Meghalaya's present-day matrilineal culture. The proud heritage of the Khasi,
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in
Meghalaya also support this system." – C Joshua Thomas, regional director,
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the representation of women in politics is minimal. As of 2013, in a
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450:"Where women of India rule the roost and men demand gender equality"
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493:"Kingdom of girls: Women hold power in this remote Indian village"
122:. Khasis are believed to be migrants with ancestral links to the
412:"Meghalaya, India: Where women rule, and men are suffragettes"
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of 60 members, there are only four women. In the male-centric
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524:
A Field of One's Own: Gender and Land Rights in South Asia
334:"A woman's world: Meghalaya, India – matrilineal culture"
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Khasi-Jaintia
Folklore: Context, Discourse, and History
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Education in North East India: Experience and
Challenge
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138:(female kingdom; or land of matriarchy) in the epic
297:. Planet Earth & its Life Forms. Archived from
546:Life and Culture of Matrilineal Tribe of Meghalaya
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597:Schweizer, Thomas; White, Douglas R. (1998).
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448:Bouissou, Julien (18 January 2011).
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87:Khasi, among multiple tribes in the
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491:Nick Kirkpatrick (17 April 2015).
422:from the original on 22 March 2016
410:Allen, Timothy (19 January 2012).
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263:from the original on 10 March 2016
251:Bhaumik, Subir (16 October 2013).
14:
680:
460:from the original on 4 March 2016
331:
542:Gupta, Pranab Kumar Das (1984).
624:. NFSC www.indianfolklore.org.
600:Kinship, Networks, and Exchange
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160:Rights, roles, responsibilities
603:. Cambridge University Press.
582:. Concept Publishing Company.
561:. Concept Publishing Company.
527:. Cambridge University Press.
215:Meghalaya Legislative Assembly
207:Meghalaya Legislative Assembly
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550:. Inter-India Publications.
144:likely correlates with the
16:Migration flow in Meghalaya
10:
685:
320:Schweizer & White 1998
188:(SRT) (3,000 members) and
103:. They are referred to as
576:Mann, Rann Singh (1996).
152:, and other subgroups is
336:. ICIMOD. Archived from
186:Syngkhong Rympei Thymmai
664:Women's rights in India
209:or village councils or
146:Khasi and Jaintia Hills
45:. Often referred to as
29:Multiple tribes in the
521:Agarwal, Bina (1994).
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654:People from Meghalaya
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618:Sen, Soumen (2004).
395:Lyndem & De 2004
649:Tribes of Meghalaya
497:The Washington Post
101:matrilineal descent
43:matrilineal descent
190:Sam Kam Rin Ku Mai
111:(The Seven Huts).
27:
631:978-81-901481-3-9
610:978-0-521-59021-1
589:978-81-7022-586-7
568:978-81-8069-063-1
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454:The Guardian
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141:Mahabharata
99:, practise
51:Garo people
25:Khasi women
669:Matriarchy
643:Categories
383:Gupta 1984
332:Laird, T.
225:References
211:panchayats
174:matrilocal
166:Ka Khadduh
136:Nari Rajya
130:people of
120:Bangladesh
83:Background
371:Mann 1996
257:Aljazeera
132:East Asia
93:Meghalaya
41:practise
35:Meghalaya
464:10 March
458:Archived
426:10 March
420:Archived
416:BBC News
359:Sen 2004
344:10 March
305:10 March
267:10 March
261:Archived
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502:6 July
128:Khmer
116:Assam
89:state
31:state
626:ISBN
605:ISBN
584:ISBN
563:ISBN
529:ISBN
504:2021
466:2016
428:2016
346:2016
307:2016
269:2016
150:Garo
118:and
72:NGOs
59:Garo
49:and
124:Mon
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