Following a passioned debate on my last post Feminism has always existed in Africa, I started to question why the myth of matriarchy in precolonial Africa is popular and here’s why. Because it poses less of a challenge to the status quo.
It numbs the anger of the persisting patriarchy we have found ourselves in for centuries. It curbs revolution. It controls feminist activism. It reinforces gender stereotypes. It lets male privilege off the hook when inhabited by men who “at least” are aware of how motherly women warriors once ruled in some distant age.
Claiming the myth of matriarchy in precolonial societies also makes it easier to blame colonialism for patriarchy and forget of the African patriarchs. Patriarchy was not imported from Europeans. Patriarchy as we know it, perhaps. But not as the norm. There’s too much historical evidence of male-dominant systems in precolonial Africa to even go near such a claim. Furthermore, we shouldn’t frame history as though Africans stopped thinking for themselves during colonialism. How frankly belittling. For example, my family is from Abeokuta, a city in Nigeria which resisted colonial dictatorship even whilst the majority of Yorubaland had been incorporated into the southern protectorate. However, in 1914, following violent trials and tribulations, Abeokuta was forced to become part of colonial Nigeria. During this period, there was a necessary relationship between colonial officials and some of our leaders. The chiefs of Abeokuta negotiated with the colonial administrators, sometimes vehemently opposing their demands and other times collaborating with them. And the women of Abeokuta (and less privileged men too, I’d say) often bore the brunt of this new relationship between British and Yoruba patriarchs.
The appeal is that if we once upon a time lived in matriarchies, that is societies which are governed by women and where women are the heads of the family, then maybe we will return to them automatically, as a law of nature. This nostalgia helps us to lazily continue with our lives without challenging the serious problem that in the times in which we live, if you are a female you are not considered fully human by society. You don’t possess the same rights as men; you are disadvantaged in the most important aspects of livelihood; your religion is at warfare with you; you don’t have access to equal education or land ownership as men; the medical system is not tailored to your female anatomy, in fact it is often spun against it; walking down the streets isn’s safe as you are at the risk of being violently abused simply because of your gender; your history is unwritten and thwarted. I could go on. We live in a kind of gender-apartheid.
Myths are powerful tools to help us in shaping our identities, they can be psychologically empowering and balancing and I hate to be unsentimental about them therefore. Like many women, I love to read books such as “Women who run with wolves” or “‘The Goddess in Every Woman” because they give me a grounded sense of womanhood by exploring the archetypes of the feminine mind. And those archetypes I believe are very real. But as empowered as they make me feel I can’t claim that the stories are factual. And nor are the matriarchal myths about Africa. There is no intellectual integrity in distorting history to make oneself feel better. We are avoiding confronting reality by confusing it with myths.
Thoughts please!
dantresomi says
I will be the first to admit that I used to believe that myth without any doubts even though I only had the Kentakes of Ethiopia to prove that myth right.
I think many of us call these kinds of mythologies “Afrotopia” where the entire continent of Africa was this magical place where we all got along, were vegetarians, and floated as we meditated.
I agree with you. Believing in this myth relieves many of the corrupt leaders of their crimes, ethnocentrism, and patriarchy.
MsAfropolitan says
Thanks Dan Tres Omi!
I literally burst out laughing when I read the 2nd sentence in your comment. I just can’t with all that…
Jerilyn Bridges says
http://mmstudies.com/matriarchies/west-africa/ actually, there were ! I trust scholarship: not rhetoric! I think CA Diop is still the go to guy! Maybe you need to know nderstand that Christianity and Islam were as much the product of colonialism as this nonsense you are spewing!
Jelaya Stewart says
There were no matriarchal societies, there were only matrilineal, but no matriarchs was said to have truly exist. Africa has always pretty much been patriarchal, women had a big role in society however, no Christianity and Islam did not bring that to Africa it was always there because it was said to be the law of nature by Africans.
Andrew says
Hello Jelaya,
I just found this website in doing research about matriarchy. Are you still out there?
Cheers,
Andrew
Lynn says
Jelaya Stewart, do you have some information backing up what you’ve shared? I’m interested to read it.
Rose says
Patriarchal society is not natural or divinely right. In ancient times before the black woman and her offspring were subdued it was the man who takes the woman’s name and same goes for her children. The Egyptian dynasties c, Kings and Queens could only claim divine lineage through her or his mother blood. Take queen sheba for example that whole blood line claims alot through king Solomon but it was evidently the queen’s divine blood that the so called holy books forget to mention. It was well known who the prophetess were every patriatic religion and society to come after only plagiarised her prophecy.
Rose says
There is actually factual evidence all across the world belonging to the ancient world of a high civilisation matriarchal and goddess worship.
The black Siblyls being the first prophetess.
A good read about herstory before history begun to take form.
The Sibyls: Demystifying the Absence of the African Ancestress: The First Prophetess of Mami (Wata)
Book by Mama Zogbé
Fakka says
Are you talking about Gimbutas and other nonsense? Arguments and proofs are bad. These data are not accepted by modern scientists. The type argument is a triangle and it looks like a woman’s pubis is not valid. The death of the goddess is extremely controversial …
Rese says
People rely on the christian myth all the time. I find it comical that when it comes to black people we can never get on one accord like other ethnicities and decide on a myth like others. But ok.
harold mitchell says
Myth?not here to agree or disagree,but my actions once I read about matriarchies was totally different.To say that a male dominant society use a woman driven society as a basis for patriarchy comes of as pecuillar to me.THere people on the African continent who today live in matriarchal societies.Maybe I don’t understand your article
Jerilyn Bridges says
I believe the facts! http://mmstudies.com/matriarchies/west-africa/ Denying things to make you feel good is like looking at the blue sky and saying there are clouds!
Persephone says
Lies, Africa’s origin is matriarchal
Robbie Shilliam says
My understanding of this was that matriarchy didn’t necessarily mean women in sole authority. It inferred that some areas of life (public and private) were governed by women, in principle. In other words, there was a complex mosaic of multi-level governance with a matrix of ethics to match which accorded sanctity to the feminine as well as masculine. So it might be misleading to run with the term “matriarch” if we imagine it as the verso to “patriarch”. Both of these extremes were created in the colonies by administrators, missionaries etc to create both a pristine civilized Europe and a pristine savage Africa. As far as i understand it, in pre-colonial AFrica, the gravity was very variable both within, between, societies and over time too. It could be more or less gravitation to patriarchal rule, but there was not these either/ors of matriarchy (exclusive rule of women/feminine) or patriarhcy (exclusive rule of men/masculinity). This matrix of ethics and pluarlistic governance system (which was still imbued with power) was significantly impacted by islam, and much more so by missionary christianity and colonial rule that de-sanctified any public valuation of feminine ethics, and (not the same, of course, but related) womens authority. I never thought of this as Afrotopia: i.e. power and differentiation all around. But the way of thinking about ethics and rule: i think that has been calcified by colonialism. If you look at a lot of the cosmologies that came across to the Americas with enslaved peoples, you will see this pluralistic matrix of ethics i am talking about still in there. in many of these cosmologies, baptism is sanctified because it invokes the feminine water spirits. So my thing with this is not to deny anything you say Ms Afropolitan – I think you are bang on and have laid down the challenge acutely. But i do think that there are things to retrieve and creatively re-employ to sort it out. We cannot map the colonial or pre-colonial history of African continent with the same pen as colonial administrators who themselves had a totally mythical view of even what “patriarchial” and “victorian” Europe had been. (Greeks were much more like Puerto Ricans, says Derek Walcott!). I.e. sovereignty does not just mean absolute authority over a life. That paramount chief model was imported, as was a mono-vocal hierarchical value system. Patriarchal Europe was made in the colonies at the expense first and foremost of the women who lived in the colonies. The decolonization of value systems can’t take Europe as a guide or as a verso. Hence the value of thinking otherwise…
MsAfropolitan says
Thanks Robbie!
Some comments responding to your points…
Matriarchy means governing by women, in sole or let’s say majority authority. If we are speaking of other types of rule then this article isn’t disputing those. We need to be clear about what we are discussing. Because when we use the term “matriarchy” as I’m challenging here, we are not talking about the multi-level governance you mentioned.
I’m not sure I understand this? The gravitation to patriarchal rule that is. Who would determine that there wasn’t either’ors? If women who weren’t queen mothers or spiritual diviners weren’t part of the gender equilibrium as we know they often weren’t) would they say they lived in gravitation to patriarchal rule or in patriarchy? And the masses of women killed under witch accusations also come to mind.. It wasn’t the white man who carried out those acts.
I’m not so concerned with what image Europe tried to create. This is not about Europe/Africa, hardly anything I write here is giving much consideration to the western gaze (unless explicitly outlined as such) but if we can speak about this on a south-south level the fact still remains that before colonialism men dominated the governing of homes and political affairs.
Agree with this “there are things to retrieve and creatively re-employ to sort it out. We cannot map the colonial or pre-colonial history of African continent with the same pen as colonial administrators who themselves had a totally mythical view of even what “patriarchial” and “victorian” Europe had been.”
I know that women lost even that realm where they possessed the most power in precolonial Africa (the divine) with the adoption of new religions and systems, however, that isn’t really the point here.
Gunilla Madegård says
Don´t you agree with Ifi Amadiume´s ideas about the fundamental character of matriarchy in traditional African culture according to the definition worked out in modern matriarchal studies: http://mmstudies.com/matriarchy?
MsAfropolitan says
I am a student of much of Amadiume’s work but I haven’t read it all. In Male Husbands I do find that the power is still bestowed upon maleness although women access it. Your website is very informative, a great resource.
fakka says
They suck. The claims that the matriarchal societies described in this source and societies in the past were equal simply do not correspond to reality. Matriarchal societies are dominated by women. This is A FACT. IN THE FAMILY, CLAN, LAND OWNERSHIP, etc. This form of discrimination is very similar to patriarchy (patrilineality).
MsAfropolitan says
Just to clarify in case my post wasn’t clear enough, the fact women in Africa were often negatively impacted by interactions with the west is not being questioned here. This is in fact why African feminists trace women’s inequality in Africa not only to patriarchy but also to colonialism and imperialism. But we can and must explore the multiple layers of oppression that have emerged from the entanglement of external and indigenous patriarchies so that we can not only write more accurate history but also understand our past as it relates to our present concerns. This way, we also see that women have always acted both as agents and resistors of the patriarchal machinery and stop producing false ideas that women in Africa just accepted a subsumed role.
Robbie Shilliam says
Hey Ms Afropolitan,
awesome discussion! I agree with you on everything. Thank you for all these words of wisdom.
Myths are often structured by the matrix of ethics i was mentioning. I was reading about many of the Legba stories. Read with an acute eye, one can see some situations and choices in those stories which significantly complicate the ruling practices of pure patriarchy AND matriarchy. Societies and those who can practice power in them, never “comply” to these myths. But the myths do complicate the naturalness of brute oppression and injustice. Perhaps the myths you are speaking of are ones which no longer complicate. To rely on those myths would normalise brute oppression and blind any vision of justice. One of my favourite readings along this line is Ashis Nandy, “Third World Utopias”.
I know a Samoan reverend, who is busy trying to decolonize Christianity in the Pacific. He says the worst thing that happened is this: in many Pasifika mythologies there is a special relationship between filial brother and sister. Very special, and very complicated. The allegiance to Jesus proselytised by the missionaries, he says, purposefully replaced this pre-existing relationship. And how many men were quite happy with that? Maybe none, at heart. But certainly, it made life less complicated for the powerful men. They no longer had to complicate the gendered nature of their power. The reverend i am talking of wants to retrieve that old, complicated relationship. And perhaps he wants to make the love of Jesus work through those other mythologies. Maybe we need to retrieve the complicated mythologies? What do you think?
MsAfropolitan says
Thank you also Robbie, your comments have contributed greatly to the discussion.
The myth that I have heard, most recently in my previous post says that matriarchy is “where women have the central role in political office, land ownership, defining moral rules, and have superior status in society” and that this form of society existed in Africa at and around the time that most African societies became colonialized.
Patriarchy has been defined as “a familial-social, ideological, political system in which men—by force, direct pressure, or through ritual, tradition, law, and language, customs, etiquette, education, and the division of labour determine what part women shall or shall not play, and in which the female is everywhere subsumed under the male”
My argument is that for centuries long African societies have known the latter and not the former. Whether it is to do with the household, marriage customs, production methods, the physical body and sexual freedoms, African traditions for the most part made and makes distinctions between male and female in ways that disadvantage the female.
This is a reality that we don’t want to accept but unfortunately until we do we can’t solve the gender inequality problem we have in our modern day for we are looking at the branches of the colonial era when the roots extend beyond that. We need to forget for at least a short pause what role the white man played in our conflict between the genders. I refuse to believe that we are not capable of thinking by ourselves, which we are saying if the white man made us forget how to love each other. So I’m asking did we give up the skill of loving one another as men and women because of the white man? If not, and I believe not, then what can we decipher in our his(her?)stories? What problems in our modern societies emanate from us ourselves? Not someone else’s culture. Ours.
I by no means wish to contest that if using other tools of measurement to evaluate gender positions at the given time, such as indigenous spiritual practices especially, but also trade or farming, we would not find egalitarian traditions which regrettably didn’t survive the colonialist invasion because they became punishable.
Nor is it to say that the historical (patriarchal) societies did not within them experience a form of harmony between the genders, the same could be said even today still. Not everyone is a frustrated feminist 😉
Hmm retrieving the old mythologies? If someone could provide an example with solid historical evidence of a society that wasn’t patriarchal as defined above, then sure 🙂
Lesley Agams says
Pre-colonial Africa is a riddle. Its history an elaborate mosaic of truths and half truths. And even outright lies. Whether written or oral. Speaking of more contemporary times (early 20th c) women in traditional communities still retained a lot of ‘power’ further eroded since by religion. While some people can be accused of romanticism I think and laziness I think its been more about differentiating an African type of feminism from the roots of white feminism. Catherine Acholonu used patri-focal and matri-focal to disassociate from the loaded ‘patriarchy’ and the misleading matriarchy. Both maternal and paternal lineage had significant purpose and meaning in a persons life. It wasn’t a femtopia but it didn’t completely de-value the feminine.
MsAfropolitan says
Thanks Lesley for the comment.
I’m not a huge fan of Acholonu’s ‘motherism’ theory which in my opinion is problematically heteronormative and reinforces stereotypical (judeo-christian) gender roles, but I did like the matrifocal thesis. That said, I’m not putting that to question here.
Also, I do agree that the roots of African feminism are different to those of white feminism. I don’t see what warrants this concern though? Does the idea of not having matriarchies in Africa make African feminism more europianized? And if so, what is it that we are getting from the ‘African’ in ‘African feminism?
Daniel Henry says
I’m very late to this one but I came across your article. I’m honestly going to see that this myth is being pushed by feminist Black Americans who took what they learned from white women, and are trying to force it to apply to African history. Even against what Africans themselves are saying.
As you said before, colonialism in Africa was a VERY short part of African history. There were many are people who were old enough to remember it’s beginning, and lived long enough to see it end. Some only in their 60’s.
Also, the insulting notion that Africans couldn’t think for themselves during colonialism is just ridiculous. If that were they case, violent revolutions would not have taken place all across the continent. Very good article ma’am. 🙏🏾
Sokari says
@dantresomi – Great comment on AfroTopia. I would think we all agree on differentiating feminisms whether historically or ideologically – I prefer the more intersectional term ‘Kyriarchy’ explained and differentiated from patriarchy as follows;
“Kyriarchy seeks to redefine the analytic category of patriarchy in terms of multiplicative intersecting structures of domination…Kyriarchy is best theorized as a complex pyramidal system of intersecting multiplicative social structures of superordination and subordination, of ruling and oppression. ” Which is further complicated within a colonial and post-colonial context to include sexism, homophobia, heterosexism, normativity [hetero/homo] and so on. See here for more : https://bit.ly/4vhZOS
;
MsAfropolitan says
Thanks Sokari. Kyriarchy seems a useful term to know about. I’ll be checking out the article and reading some more about it.
Ashera says
I read the title of this article to be a generalization, and therefore not true. You cannot assert this for all of Africa at any given time, and the diversity of structures throughout the continent of Africa is a little more complex than saying Patriarchy versus Matriarchy.
MsAfropolitan says
Thanks for stopping by.
People are sure that it’s a generalization but no one has examples to prove the generalisation wrong.
On the issue of complexity, I agree that African societies, like most others in all honesty, are not simply aligned on this dualistic nature. I have not made that claim.
But more importantly why are we so adamant to defend the matriarchal myth? What or who are we protecting?
Ashera says
You sound defensive, and have not defended your assertion as well. I think you should direct your questions toward your self and answer them more intelligently.
MsAfropolitan says
Thanks for the advice. It was not my intention to sound defensive but rather to understand more clearly what made you claim my position was false.
Gabriel Teodros says
Happy to see this discussion happening…
A film suggestion regarding matriarchy: “Blossoms Of Fire” a beautiful film about the Zapotec people in Oaxaca, Mexico… it streams on Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA8MmmrX-6s it’s just an important film on the subject!
I spent some time studying matriarchy in Africa… I was really interested in the Candaces of Meroe, Hatshepsut (and possibly a line of other woman Pharaohs before her) in Aincent Egypt and Sheba in Ethiopia. Some believe Hatshepsut and Sheba were the same person. A common theme I seemed to run into had to do with religion. With the introduction of monotheism, patriarchy was always hand in hand. And women’s stories of being in power were methodically erased. For example, in Egypt, the Pharaoh who came after Hatshepsut literally had her image chiseled off of stone walls. Yet she was the most prolific builder in Aincent Egypt.
And your right, patriarchy does go back way before any European colonization.
I was interested in the real story of Sheba because the popular story you hear about her (i think it’s in the Kebra Negast… i never even had to read the story to hear it a million times) has to do mostly with her being raped by King Solomon, who is considered so “wise”. Then after this incident she brought Solomon’s religion to Ethiopia, and now today you have Ethiopians and Rastafarians alike who proudly call themselves “Sons of Solomon”, they don’t call themselves “Sons of Sheba” and violence against women in these communities continues to go unchecked, the irony is insane.
Patriarchy and the Abrahamic religions… I feel like they miiight of started together… but if they didn’t, those 2 ideas sure hold each other up.
Robbie Shilliam says
Gabriel, Kebra Negast suggests that Sheba was in some ways wiser than Solomon. KEbra NAgast is read by Rastafari. As for your Rastafari comments, you must go forward with overstanding not assumption. Rastafari – as is most of conscious peoples in the world- is deprogramming patriarchy from the vision. Rasta is not ignorant of the challenges, especially not Rasta empresses who have forwarded the challenge over 80 challenging years.
https://rastaites.com/news/archives/ET2004/03.htm
working in easy absolutes is not working.
MsAfropolitan says
Wow, thanks so much for your contributions, can you recommend resources to learn more on the rewriting of this history? The theory that monotheism and patriarchy are linked seems logical and as you say even if they didn’t start together they sure met up quickly along their journeys. Furthermore, monotheism as tied to the shift from pantheism also introduces exploitation of land and nature which in return also is linked to gender, as in the right to property and so on.
I’ll so be checking out that movie.
Gabriel Teodros says
about Hatshepsut… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatshepsut#Changing_recognition
there’s books about her too.
the theory that Sheba/Makeda/Bilquis and Hatshepsut are the same person comes from a book i read over a decade ago called “Stolen Legacy” it’s a theory that says the Bible is a re-telling of events in Aincent Egypt. When I did my own research comparing what the Bible says about Sheba and what history says about Hatshepsut, i found something that might back it up. Sheba is supposed to be the great-great-great-granddaughter of Noah. So I looked at Ahmose I (who is believed to be Hatshepsut’s great-great-great-grandfather) to look for Noah’s flood, and found that he did move the capital of Egypt to Thebes, and rebuilt pyramids that were destroyed by a storm. The storm was caused by the Minoan eruption https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoan_eruption which if you read about could very well be Noah’s flood.
i haven’t found books about the Candaces of Meroe… what I’ve read about them sounds so fierce though, I’d love to find more!
FreeWill says
Noah’s flood is actually the flood of Gilgamesh by the Sumerians.
And no Sheba is not Hatchesput: she is the corruption of the stella function of the goddess Auset when she operates through the star system called Sapadet in ancient Egypt. This star system is called Sirius by the whites. Solomon in reality is Ausar when he operates through the star system Sah called Orion by the whites. Ausar has the title HeriMeth meaning King(Heri) of the North(Meth). Heru became Menalek(perarekhit which is the title of heru meaning offspring of the Wise Queenmother goddess (Auset) was corrupted to melanek)
Robbie Shilliam says
We need to be careful with the categories we have inherited. The mono/poly theism divide is based on European-christian (missionary) theology. It is not helpful. Christianity itself is polytheistic -i.e. there is more than one spiritual agency (the devil, the holy spirit, the angels etc). Most cosmological systems will posit a begotten source – often a very distant source, which is neither female, male, OR both and more. Then there are a whole set of spiritual agencies that have particular roles, functions, ethics – they relate to eachother, often in a contested way. Missionaries decided that spiritual agencies should be translated as “gods”. hence polytheism vs supposed white christian monotheism. The strongest support of patriarchy as we know it is this particular monotheistic thesis which attribues one state line to god through man and orders property rights, sanctification of bodies, and transmission of power. But the majority of cosmologies in the world never worked with a straight line like this. there are visions to retrieve and creatively transform. i agree with ms afropolitan that certain myths will not help in this regard at all. But other myths might.
Robbie Shilliam says
lol sorry, one “Straight” line, not state line. but come to think of it, that too! 🙂
cosmicyoruba says
I agree with the general sentiments of this post. I’m not comfortable with “AfroTopia” either and I happen to know a lot of people who use the “matriarchy myth” as an excuse to blame all the problems African women face on colonialism and to suggest that if we went back in time everything will be better.
I do believe that there were real matriarchies in the African continent, not only in the past but also today. Societies change and majority of these societies have become matrilineal or matrifocal. Reading about the experiences of women in pre-colonial Africa, it has really stood out to me how different experiences were depending on ethnic group and society. Some women had it way better than others, and so far some of the most “free” women I’ve encountered in literature have been Igbo women. Although they lived in a patriarchal culture, I would say there was more movement in between.
My realistic response now to those who stick to the AfroTopia matriarchy-was-everywhere myth is to say that if I were to go back in time to pre-colonial Africa, I would rather be a slightly older, very wealthy Igbo woman because then I’d have more “freedom”.
MsAfropolitan says
Thanks for the contribution. I agree that it seems the nuances from region to region were vast, but certain shared aspects were VERY widespread, like polygamy. Select Igbo women, for example, could buy wives too but for the most part polygamy seems to have been 1 male to plural number of females.
Curious to hear which societies would you call matriarchies today?
For equality, the choice of a wealthy elderly Igbo woman and especially one with spiritual power too, would be a safe bet!
But you see, that’s the type of thing that adds to the patriarchal history. If it hadn’t been the case it would be equally tempting to time-travel to more regions as a woman of any rank or age.
cosmicyoruba says
The thing with patriarchy is that it affects both men and women, in different ways. For example with polygamy, not all men would have been able to marry more than one wife, just as there were select Igbo women who could buy wives I do believe the men who could afford to marry many wives were also select. And from what I know, the wives married were usually as servants or for male members of the family. I’m going with Nwando Achebe who argues that “bride price” is actually “child price” in Igbo culture, because the price paid ensured that any child born from a union would belong to the man’s family whether the man was his biological father or not.
As for matriarchies today, I really can’t list a role call of societies but I do know of people who refer to their societies as matriarchal and that has made me more open-minded because Africa is such a diverse place. It was just last month when I met a Ugandan lady who spoke of the difficulties in reconciling what she referred to as the matriarchy among her ethnic group to the larger Ugandan society.
With regards to elderly Igbo women adding to the patriarchal history, that was my point exactly, that there are only a few regions on the African continent that women could time-travel to and experience “freedom”. But then again things were much more different, and what we may look at now and say “oh that is very woman friendly” were actually not in the larger view of things. At the same time there seems to have been more flexibility that allowed women to crave their own destinies, if they were old/wealthy/powerful enough.
cosmicyoruba says
And from what I know, the wives married were usually as servants or for male members of the family
Here, I mean the wives that were married to women, i.e. “female husbands”.
MsAfropolitan says
Furthermore, the female children of a ‘female husband’, became ‘male daughters’ (according to Ifi Amadiume and Mercy Adedoye) and had the same privileges a male child would have had so for example they had authority over their mother’s wives.
Delightfully complex!
MsAfropolitan says
I’m confused about Nwando Achebe’s argument, if the child was male does he say it would still have a “bride price’?
cosmicyoruba says
“Child price” was first coined by Ifi Amadiume, and both Amadiume and Achebe argue that this is a more appropriate term because the transfer of money from a man to a woman or from a female husband to wife apparently had nothing to do with the wife as this payment was part of a contract that transferred all rights over children to the husbands. So that way a man or female husband was obliged to take care of any child, regardless of sex, that was born to the wife after the bride price/child price was paid.
Does this clear the confusion?
And I’m not sure Nwando Achebe is “he”.
MsAfropolitan says
Yes it makes perfect sense now, thanks for explaining.
Robbie Shilliam says
thank you Cosmicyoruba and Ms AFropolitan for your discussion. it’s very enlightening. 🙂
hsfim says
Hey guys,
what about Queen N’Zingha from Angola who ruled as a ‘King’, had male concubines and went to war against the Portuguese in order to prevent further enslavement and colonisation.
Blak Betty says
I’ve only just read this post and haven’t read all of the responses so apologies if someone has already made these points. I would agree that patriarchy is something that existed in pre-colonial Africa but I think its form has evolved which has been influenced by colonialism and its effects as well as economic and other social factors.
I think that saying that there were no Matriarchies in pre-colonial Africa is a bit of a sweeping statement. Africa is a big continent. I am from Zambia and there are 72 languages spoken- so many different tribes groups and ethnic groups in Africa so maybe some of them did have matriarchal systems. I briefly saw some people in earlier posts pointing out some African Queens and leaders so there must have been at least a few.
Joy-Mari says
Hear, hear!!!!
Zavara says
Peace. Thank you for your insights, I appreciate your information about Yorubaland and precolonial history of your area. I however wold like to remind you about the diversity of Afrika and also warn us in these dialogues to be careful not creating linear conclusion to a very diverse and complex culture like afrikan culture. Matriachial is not myth in some areas it is reality that exist until today. In East Afrika my family Zaramo people from the Tanzanian coast use to Matriachal and still are today. I know of many Afrikan nations which they clan names are from mother side. Please revisit this subject you will find some insightful information. Investigate about Queen Nyabhingi from Great Lake area, Batutsi people had Matriachal ways before colonial and many more. Take a moment and go through materials by Cheick Anta Diop, Oba T’Shaka. These people are not typical Intellectuals as we know them today but are multy disclinary scholars they have done their field research and they have lived with the people they are talking about. Another material to also gather some insights should be Yurugu by Marimba Ani. Thiss woman has done extensive works on Eropean minsed from Afrikan perspective. I think their world view is still predominant in our thinking. Blessed love.
MsAfropolitan says
Peace to you too and thanks for the contribution.
I would love to know more about the power structure of the Zaramos…
What do you mean by clan names by mother’s side, as in matrilineally? Also, what do you mean by matriarchal ‘ways’? Either it’s a matriarchy or it isn’t (in the case of the argument in this post). I am familiar with work of the people who you suggest, they are valuable, informative resources for Africans without a doubt but I have my hesitations in their accuracy and motive when it comes to defining matriarchy. Those hesitations (to numb the feminist spirit and activism etc.) are listed in this article.
Living Kimaro says
Matriarchy exists in Zaramo and it is eveident
Simmi says
Hi Minna
Wishing you love, solidarity and consciousness on your journey in 2013. I have skim read your post and some of the comments, so forgive me if I repeat something or if I get it wrong. I think it would be helpful to offer a clear definition of what you mean when speaking of matriarchy. I found this definition by Heide Goettner-Abendroth: The subject of matriarchal studies is the investigation and presentation of non-patriarchal societies of past and present. Even today there are enclaves of societies with matriarchal patterns in Asia, Africa, America and Oceania. None of these is a mere reversal of patriarchy where women rule -as it is often commonly believed -instead, they are all egalitarian societies, without exception. This means they do not know hierarchies, classes and the domination of one gender by the other. They are societies free of domination, but they still have their regulations. And this is the fact that makes them so attractive in any search for a new philosophy, to create a just society.
Equality does not merely mean a levelling of differences. The natural differences between the genders and the generations are respected and honoured, but they never serve to create hierarchies, as is common in patriarchy. The different genders and generations have their own honour and through complimentary areas of activity, they are geared towards each other.’. Ofcourse there were patriarchal societies before colonisation, but what i find significant is the devastating capitalist economy of colonial patriarchy on a global scale. With that said I hear your argument, that we must always be critical of ourself and deal with the different forms of structural oppression within our own cultures or we will continue to mimic Eurocentric ethnocentricism…rather than decolonize our minds. I am reminded of our politics here in south Africa, which is using ‘africanist culture’ as an excuse to entrench gross sexism.
The following is a link to different matriarchal cultures across the globe. https://www.matriarchiv.info/?page_id=34&lang=en
MsAfropolitan says
Hi Simmi,
Thanks and the very same to you. Thanks for sharing thoughts..
I appreciate your request to “offer a clear definition of what you mean when speaking of matriarchy” as there have been suggestions of matrifocal and matrilineal society to dispute my argument. I am not denying the existence of those.
Rather I am being very specific, and the definition of matriarchy that I am familiar with and that I refer to here is a matriarchy as the worst nightmare of patriarchy, the reverse image of today’s world, a world where women have authority over men, are ruthless leaders and control the resources of humanity and prevent men from having access to it(in the way patriarchy similarly has always operated).
Such a society has not been documented in African history to my knowledge (but if it has I would gladly be proven wrong) and also, just in case it be misunderstood, I do not find the idea of such a society any more desirable than the patriarchal ones we currently have. There are indications that the candaces of Kush might have been matriarchs but we are going very far back in history with them and although we know for sure that they were powerful there is not enough evidence of whether they were rulers of a matriarchy
I agree with the devastating effects of colonial patriarchy and capitalism on egalitarian structures.
I also think it’s important to be clear that matriarchy is not the same as egalitarian and complementary which I’m not suggesting haven’t existed and still do to some extent.
I don’t know all the African ethnicities in the link you share but I know that Yorubas were not matriarchal as incorrectly listed on it which makes me dubious as to whether to spend time researching the others…
Thanks for the discussion
Minna
Ama says
Hi there,
I have read through your blog and it is quite interesting. I am from the Twi clan in Ghana and we still practice Matriarchy. Women own the land, property, family business and my children take my surname. Wealth is handed down through the mother line. Women do not control men but each has their own role and are respected. Men are the warriors and take advice from their aunties and mothers. While women control the trade, finances, religion, education, youth and children.
MsAfropolitan says
Hi Ama,
Thanks for the comment.
I’d love to know more about the Twi matriarchy. Any recommendations on further study?
Minna
Havah says
Bonjour,
I am a Baoule woman from Cote d’Ivoire, we are part of the Akan people and most of our customs which are similar to the Twi of the Ghana are considered by anthropologist as matriarchal/matrilineal ones (just google Akan+people+matriarchy). I think you have a very narrow definition of matriarchy which makes it impossible for almost any precolonial or primitive society around the world to be deemed, at any point of the history, as matriarchies. Just to make an analogy, I live in Canada and some first nations claim to have been matriarchal/matrilineal societies because of the roles and the weight women used to have with regard to the functioning of the clan, and above all, compared to whatever rights white women used to have at the same time in their own societies. Yet, if I apply your interpretation of matriarchy to these nations, I am afraid that some Canadan first nations like the Mohawks might have been deluding themselves all this time with some folk myths in order to feel good about themselves. If you need real evidence and I am not talking about a study (because what happened if someone was never interested in going into the bush to study some clan), you might wanna travel to some African villages and talk with the elders.
On a less historic note, I really like your blog.
Cordialement,
Havah.
MsAfropolitan says
Hi Havah,
Thanks so much for the comment and blog compliment.
Just wondering, how would you define a matriarchy and how would you differentiate it from matriliny?
Havah says
@MsAfropolitan,
Hello,
I read your question and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud because I do agree that when it comes to semantics, “matriarchy” is different from “matriliny”. Yet, could you give me an example of any true matriarchal society, in the same meaning that patriarchal societies are perceived and described in social sciences? I mean, has history ever recorded a matriarchal society anywhere in the world, except the mythical Amazons? I think the real point here (and please allow me to veer a little bit off the topic) is that there have never ever been (true) matriarchal societies in the history of humanity so African people cannot make the claim that it was the case in precolonial Africa. Yet, once again, this conclusion can only be reached if you make a clear distinction between matriarchy and matriliny, as feminist theories do.
Cheers,
Havah
Evgen says
Ahahaha. This is “egalitarianism”). You have just shown that the matriarchy is yours, it is a sexist society. Are differences honored? And what if, being a man, I don’t want to take your surname, or I want to own land) Right. I won’t want to, because I will be influenced by women. Higher reverence for mothers, women. Women own property and other things. It’s disgusting and terrible. How good that I was born in capitalism and not in your tribe. There is no need to substitute concepts. There is only one egalitarianism, and it is not in your tribe. this is a fact!
Pantsy Esquire says
I can think of a least one. In Sahara, the Tuareg (for lack of a better term), some branch thereof, has always passed down lineage of children, wealth, etc. through the mother's line. men rotate around that pole.
Ankh says
The more I study precolonial Africa, the more I find this post to be utter, utter BS. Precolonial Africa was not a matriarchy, but it was CERTAINLY NOT a patriarchy.
MsAfropolitan says
Would be good to hear more about your study findings.
You seem to be agreeing with what the post title says: there were no matriarchies in precolonial Africa.
Joe says
Completely agree. This whole article is so unfortunate.
George MrSmith says
history
Black Londoners says
You should have read and considered 'The Cultural Unity of Black Africa: The Domains of Patriarchy and of Matriarchy in Classical Antiquity' by Cheikh Anta Diop, the great African historian, anthropologist, scientist … etc before putting up this post.
Shalla-Marie Manga-New says
Sorry but your post lacks in substance. First of all ,you speak of Africa as if it were a nation with only 1 tribe/society Secondly,though I do understand what you mean by citing the colonial blame game when it comes to certain subjects, you cannot claim that colonialism did not affect belief systems and gender roles purely because 'we were smarter than that'. You need to do some research. You talk about Africa as a whole yet you only really talk about your little region/your tribe in Nigeria. Ugh! Also when you examine history and people in general ,please get your ego out of the way please. None of this "How insulting !" shit. No one cares about your wee feelings ,we want facts. There is no mention of the San people or the Aka people in your little post yet they are very well known matriarchal societies. The most obvious ones. Which leads me to believe that you truly have no idea what you're talking about…Or you're just a bad writer.
Cecile Nguina says
pre-history
MsAfropolitan says
I agree with your critiques that the article was too short and does not cover near enough of Africa. In fact, a lengthier piece would have also enabled me to flesh out my argument further. For instance, I might have written about how the Igbo dual sex governing system you mention, however admirable, nevertheless granted power predominantly to elite women who in essence gained the status of men, fathers, sons… Not quite what makes a matriarchy but certainly a noteworthy example of flexible gender organisation.
That said, this is one blog I would love to be proved wrong about if ever there was one. Please provide credible counterarguments to my supposedly inaccurate claims rather than just listing ethnic groups. Where can readers find out more about the matriarchies of Nigeria and Sierra Leone for example, or what can you share about them that proves their matriarchal rule system?
Here is an important read about the Yoruba non/binary gender system. https://www.codesria.org/IMG/pdf/BAKERE_YUSUF.pdf
MsAfropolitan says
A belated thank you for the link, Toki. I enjoyed the article too. It didn’t quite solidify that Akan were/are matriarchal but was an interesting read about the power of Queen Mothers, none of which is disputed here, I might add 🙂
/Minna
Havah says
Hello Minna!
I just stumbled upon the below website while doing research on Thomas Sankara’s quotes about women. The website is in French and doesn’t seem to distinguish matriarchy from matriliny but I still think you might find it interesting. Btw, I totally dig the new layout of the blog.
Cheers,
H.
MsAfropolitan says
Hi Havah. Thank you. Unfortunately the google translation is not great but I can get the gist. Nice that you came back and glad you like the layout. Peace.
diouf says
first of all thank you for your post, it’s very outstanding and full of teachings. But i do not side with you because i think that Africa should not be studied as a unity . There are different ethnic groups so different beliefs and histories. What makes me say this, is that i am a SAAFI SAAFI from Senegal and in my community there was matriarchy. Because leadership was based on seniority . Meaning that the oldest of the clan was always the leader whether woman or man. And you will admit that women live longer than men.
MsAfropolitan says
Thank you for the great comment, Diouf. I would love to know more about the SAAFI SAAFI ruling system. What if the clan had two eldest members, a man and a woman, and also, since we are looking at precolonial times, how was age measured in order to know who is eldest?
diouf says
Thank you one more time. Power in SAAFI SAAFI clan derived from experience and memories. So if the clan had two eldest members, a woman and a man, old people would get together and see who better mastered what had been handed down to them.
Someone’s age was based on the number of raining seasons that her or he experienced.
y6unyjj says
Women are nothing but walking incubators. That’s the only purpose you have on this earth – to give birth.
MsAfropolitan says
Biologically, it’s the only purpose we all have on this earth, mate. It’s really quite beautiful, the ability to birth LIFE, even yours, even if trolling might have become your raison d’etre.
fred says
You can’t give life unless a member of the superior gender impregnates you. You also bleed for 5 days every month, haha! How great it is to be a man! Now get back to the kitchen, girl. Those dishes aren’t going to wash themselves!
MsAfropolitan says
LOL
fred says
Lol indeed! It’s nice to see you realize how pathetic and ridiculous the female body is.
Al says
For the most part, the AA community is already matriarchal and has been that way for a while now. Matriarchal societies are in existence today and if you want to see how they operate look at the AA community along with others that still exist.
I don’t believe the hype that all of Africa was matriarchal. I can see matrilineal but not primarily matriarchal. I am sure there were both patriarchal and matriarchal societies but I dont think matriarchal was the primary. Why? When you sit down and think about it, it just doesn’t add up. I believe some African patriarchies had more respect for role of women and incorporated the feminine side of reality into their systems. Matrilineality is one of those aspects that take into account that women pass bloodlines and that certain powers could only be passed through bloodlines while some can be passed through the father. So there are certain aspects that are only passed down the female line.
Also taking into account the female role is important to a strong patriarchy. If it does not take into account women it will weaken itself. So strong societies have to take into account the male and female role even if the men are in charge.
Basically everything comes down to understanding the laws governing masculine and feminine and these laws supercede all things. They determine the outcomes of any system that either takes them into account on all things or doesn’t take them into account.
Women have a powerful role in the world, I just don’t see it as being head over males… Systems that exist today where women head over males are very weak systems that can easily be conquered and taken over. Without strong males a society cannot break free of being subject to another. That is because the feminine role in the universe is divine power and divine power serves, not rules…. The masculine role in the universe is divine authority over power but alone it has no power. So you have one side that has power but does not have authority and you have authority that does not have power and the two unite to be perfect…
Sam says
You are an imbecile, and truly an example of your “people’s evil nature.
jambula says
get your facts straight, not all of african society were the same either before or even after so its dangerous to make such a generalisation. I havent read into matriachal societies that much but I already know of….many Akan kingdoms were matriachal and apparently women still have a lot of influencce, and in South African the rain queen modjadji, is and has been the head of matriachial society for many generations now.
Charles Walker says
So, the late Senegalese scientist, doctor Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop, in his book “African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality” was lying about matriarchal societies in parts of Africa?
Mario Stevenson says
— African Feminist — oh that’s funny. Well we #PanAfrican men called that statement oxymoron.
Monique Kwachou says
I agree with you that there’s a myth of ‘Afrotopia’, and exaggeration on how equal things were prior to colonialism, but this does not mean there were no matriarchies at all on the continent prior to colonialism. The Kom people of my country Cameroon have always had a matriarchy and its history predates colonialism and exists to date.
MsAfropolitan says
Hi Monique, I’d love to hear more about the Kom matriarchy, past and present. Are spiritual and political leaders, family heads etc. mainly women? Do women mainly manage financial and legal affairs? I’m not doubting you, just super fascinated and keen to know more.
Monique Kwachou says
Hello Minna,
Thanks for your interest, and apologies for the delay in response. First off, I’d like to make it clear that I don’t think of matriarchies as the anti-thesis of patriarchies. To my understanding women in matriarchies are leaders in rituals, governance and the economy and have powers to sanction (a military force of sorts as well). This does not mean men did not have the same or had very limited power. You could say it’s a system of complementarity, but in this case what roles each gender played were mostly delegated by the women (which could also be critiqued because women delegating roles does not guarantee gender equality so to speak).
Yet from what I’ve studied and witnessed first hand at cultural celebrations of death, inheritance, marriage etc. the Kom is a matriarchy in the sense outlined above.
The women lead most of the ritual ceremonies along side men as compared to other tribes where they would not be present. Inheritance is through the mother (has always been) and as such, while there is a family head, his sister has always been more important to the continuation of the family name.
I’ll try to find out more specifics if you are truly interest.
However here’s a document that has a little more info on this : https://www.afrst.illinois.edu/news/archive/seminar/documents/sem-toman-2000.pdf
MsAfropolitan says
Thanks Monique. It sounds like you’re describing a matrilineal rather than a matriarchal society.
I am not an advocate of matriarchy by the way, I’d prefer a mutual and equal world, because matriarchies are indeed the reversal of patriarchies. But if a matriarchy existed, I would certainly take keenness in learning more about it because of it’s rareness. As it is, I still think you could say there were no matriarchies in Africa..
Angela Martin says
Clearly you have not done your research but the first historians to ever write down history on paper wrote about the matriarchal societies in Africa….that still exist today mostly in the areas untouched by society…these historians were from patriarchal societies who were amazed that women governed over men….I would start with researching the empires of Africa prior to colonialism and the Islamic conquest. Definitely read pre-1900s documents. Unfortunately they may be written in French, German, or Arabic…you might have use google translate. As for ur own roots…if u dig deep enough…we are talking ancient artifacts…you will also find the trends of matriarchy within ur own ancestry…might have to go back a little farther than pre-Egypt but good luck on ur journey and enjoy…it really is quite fascinating
JeanettesDaughter says
I never believed the myth of matriarchy. I knew a bit about matriliniel systems, but I never confused these with “the man in charge.” Power at the end of the day is a matter of dominance of resources, control of land and cattle, and lastly war and brute violence: all advantages that have accrued to men since ” time” and recorded histories began. It always seemed to me a myth of psychological survival created perhaps by women to convince women and powerless men that there were some halcyon days of yore to which one might return, rather than a recognition of the necessity of fierce struggles to create a world yet to come. I guess I was simply cynic from a very young age. It also seemed to me lazy and cowardly, an avoidance of doing what is necessary and a retreat from clashing with societal norms, an unconventionality in which women and the least powerful others are severely ostracized and punished.
anonymous says
Interesting read. I am not African myself and thus cannot really speak on that matter, but i am married to an african man and find myself often questioning the concepts and meaning of feminism, patriarchy and female oppression. My husband comes from a very patriarchal culture (that their family at least sees as having been that way since the dawn of time, before colonialism), but in which they believe women have a well-appreciated place as the “mother” and “nurturer” whereas men are the “provider”. They see it simply as dividing tasks evenly and “naturally”. As they see it just and evenly distributed, it is hard for me to question it, as it might be me enforcing my culture onto them. I do however sometimes hear the sadder sides of that, the women that do suffer from oppression in their roles. Though that is the case in most countries so i don’t really know if a certain culture or gendered roles are to blame. Anyways always interesting to read on this topic as i find myself to become more clueless and more uncertain on anything and everything ethics or human rights related as the times goes by 😀
Arisika Razak says
I don’t think that the emphasis on pre-colonial/pre-patriarchal matriarchal/gynocratic societies in Africa imply that there will be at some time a “natural” or automatic return to them. In reading Ifi Amadiume’s work (Male Daughters, Female Husbands”) I find documentation of high status roles for women, reverence for the earth, and the presence of female deities, in pre-contact Ibo societies, as well as the loss of women’s powers and privileges in the post-Christian and colonial eras. For me this significance opposes patriarchal narratives which imply 1) that women never had roles of spiritual, political or economic authority and 2) if they did, society would be dysfunctional. As a 68 year old African American woman of the USA, who believes that racism and sexism (among other oppressions) will not end in my lifetime, I take refuge in learning about societies in which women had roles of honor. Such societies are found in Indigenous North America (the Haudenosanee, the Laguna Pueblo) in Asia (the Minangkabau) and in Africa. Even among the traditional Yoruba, while sexism is posited at the beginning of creation, the Odu make clear that it is not sanctioned by the Supreme Being or Creator. The belief that these societies would have been “perfect” with everyone happy, is for me where the fairy tale element begins.
G. says
I see that it’s just opinion that you’re sharing here. What is the research references behind your statement or are you just hypothesising?
You have a very incorrect understanding of what matriarchy is.
Ray Charles says
The arranged marriages point to true matriarchal reign at some point before colonialism. The societies established before colonialism highlighted the authority of women in Egypt and even more Western civilizations. The whole continent is shaped liked a lushious woman and more tangibiy the suffix -rica defines a powerful woman while it wont take long to figure out what the definition of “Af”.
Matthew J Powell says
Then Bijago (Bidyogo) are a traditional matriarchal & matrilineal peoples of West Africa, coastal islands. One isn’t none. (also this makes the assumption that archeology & research into Africa has been complete & that we know everything about Africa. That just isn’t true). I do believe that matriarchy is rare in Africa.
William says
You will notice that Patrilineal society goes along with living off the animals, whether it’s goats and sheep or cattle. Look at Jews Arabs Masai and Zulus and Aryans today. Men have rights over the women and the animals.
In traditional tribal village farming village areas women have more power.
The men..Shepherds in the hills saw that the Daughters of Cain ( farm girls …were fine as wine in the summertime). Isn’t that how the story goes? Maybe that part of the story is true…first of all in Africa..then around the rest of the world as we spread out from the Motherland..Check out Genesis in the Book of Enoch..the Ethiopian Bible ..it’s deep.
William says
In Traditional farming villages in South Asia and West Africa .. Matrilineal Descent is more prevalent even today ..Women’s role as food provider and her village center ..hub..where all the action is… are are more intact even today. Society emanates more so from Matrilineal villages where women have authority to rule directly or through men. It’s strange to us ..unless you’ve been to a good Black family reunion…as the Afternoon wears on into dusk….