Of Chickens and Guinea Fowl

Abstract

■ The old structural-functionalist obsession with comparisons between patrilineal and matrilineal systems and their respective functionality in a modernizing world, has been extensively and justifiably criticized. One thing this literature did do, however, was to recognize the centrality of kinship to political and economic life in much of rural Africa. In the postcolonial world kinship con tinues to play a central role, and understanding this role is crucial if we want to understand the complex and dynamic realities of contemporary Africa. This article traces out some of the practical realities into which 'matriliny' translated in the lives of those living in the Kaonde-speaking communities of Zambia's North-Western Province in the 1980s. One of the questions it addresses is that perennial one in the context of discussions of matriliny and matrilineal kinship systems: to what extent is matriliny, as opposed to patriliny, associated with greater power and authority for women? In particular I explore the implications of the structural tension between men's authority vis-a-vis women as husbands and as matrilineal kinsmen.