MOIETY
The word moiety is derived from the French word moitié, which means ‘one-half.’ When a tribe is socially divided into only two groups based on its social activities, each group is called moiety. The members of each moiety believe them to be descended from a common ancestor even though they can not specify how. However, societies with moiety systems have relatively small populations compared to societies with phratries and clans. This organization is known as a dual organization. The division of a dual organization is frequently asymmetrical. Fhrenfels expressed that “such reciprocal groups usually look upon each other in a mixture of aggressive pride and dependent comradeship at the same time, thus producing a marked sense of rivalry. The stressed reciprocity of all these groupings seems to have been rooted in the idea of magic fertility since warfare between the two marriage classes play a similar role as a human sacrifice or head-hunting in the lunar mythological fertility rites. One of the two parties in a genuine dual system is often found to be either more skilled, powerful, numerous or somehow superior.”
Lowie, on the other hand, describes a number of attributes of a moiety. The moiety may be exogamous, agamous or more rarely endogamous. Agamy may mean that once an exogamous dual organization has relaxed the rule on the prevention of marriage within the group. However, it may also mean that, for some reason, the same kinship has never been extended nor fully extended to the moiety. W.H.R. Rivers had reported about a moiety system existing among the Todas of Nilgiri Hills in Kerala, India. They have a dual organization of two groups - teivaliol and tartharol. Each of the two halves is again divided into a number of clans. The two moieties are exogamous. The exogamous dual organization varies from a multiple clan system. When the group is divided into two parts in terms of the rule of descent, the moiety affiliation of all its relations can be reduced. However, there are more than two clans or exogamous clan-like groups, and the relative affiliations are not traceable or are only partly determined. Any dichotomy in the two halves of the tribe may prove a practical complete division of the tribe.
Among some tribes in Manipur, a North Eastern state of India, there are many social organization systems. The Monsangs, who inhabit six villages in Chandel district of this state, belong to this type of kin group combination. According to their oral tradition, two groups of these people emerged out of a cave to this world. These two groups form the moiety of these people. The moiety known as Rinhenti has six clans, viz., Rohenti, Wanglar, Tesongti, Hongamti, Shongshir and Khatur. Rinhe is the forefather of these clans. The other moiety is known as Simputi and it has four clans - Ngarati, Thumhliti, Kiiriiti and Chiiriiti. Thumpungpa was the progenitor of this moiety group. Ideally, the moieties are exogamous.
According to Lowie, “exogamy readily disappears and readily develops.” Further, he says that agamy naturally develops as a sequel to exogamy in a dual organization. Firstly, a prosperous moiety grows so large that its members lose a sense of kinship or find it greatly weakened. Secondly, the usual difficulty of finding mates also leads to agamy. It was observed that the moieties, exogamous or otherwise, commonly comprise lesser clans. It is also possible that multiple clans may combine into two large groups, or some may die out, leaving only two. Such local names of the moieties, meaning thereby four-clans and three-clans, indicate in themselves an alliance of the clans.
We can also find established moieties among the Ao Nagas, Rengma Nagas and Angami Nagas in the North Eastern Himalayan region of Nagaland. The Aos are divided into two main divisions, Mongsen and Chungli. These two divisions have different patterns and designs of clothes in order to differentiate themselves. Chungles eat all kinds of food, whereas Mongsens refrain customarily from polluting food. They do not eat the stomach of a pig. The hairstyles of these two divisions also differ. According to Mills, the Rengma Nagas have divided themselves into two territorial divisions, Eastern Rengmas and Western Rengmas. The Western Rengmas have two groups of clans, whereas the Eastern Rengmas have no such clan. Lowie viewed that among the Angami Nagas, there are two divisions of clans, namely, Pezoma and Pepfuma. These two divisions once intermarrying moieties, but for some time, the taboos have been observed only within the lesser sub-division. For instance, the inhabitants of Kohima are all Pepfuma, but they freely intermarry unless they are part of the same clan.
According to Srinivas, in the Central Himalayan region, the Tharus have evolved a dichotomous organization of their community into two sections, namely higher and lower. The higher section has within itself a number of endogamous Kuries. Those Kuries are Batha, Birtia, Dahait, Badvait and Mahtum. These five Kuries form a new endogamous group and call themselves Rana Thakur. The lower moiety, which is in the minority, has certainly welcomed the name Thakur for their group of seven sections. They place themselves lower than the Rana Thakurs in the social order.
There are two branches of Mundas in Middle India: older and younger Mundas. They are Mahli Mundako or Patar and Kampat Mundako. These two are endogamous in nature, and the Mahli Mundako is inferior to the Kampat Mundako socially. The Saoras of Ganjam in Orissa are divided into two moieties: aristocrats and Ryats. Sarora aristocrats have their secular head Gamangs assisted by Dol-Behara, Mandal, and the religious head Buyya. They are endogamous groups.
The Gonds of Madhya Pradesh has a type of dual organization among its member tribes, that is, hill Marias. Each Moiety is composed of a number of clans. There are 90 clans in one moiety, whereas in the other, there are 69 clans.
The Andhs of Andhra Pradesh moieties of South India are divided into two divisions, namely, Vartati (pure) and Khaltati (illegitimate). The Vartati division was considered superior to the Khaltati. They do not intermarry within themselves (they follow exogamous marriage practice within themselves). The Todas of Nilgiri in Tamil Nadu gives a classic example of the moiety. They have two primary divisions: Tharthazoll and Thevelioll. These divisions are endogamous, and each is again sub-divided into a number of exogamous clans. The Tharthazoll moiety shares as many as 10 clans, namely Inikithi, Karsh, Kerheir, Kerrodr, Medr, Melgarsh, Nedhi, Norsh, Pirgotl and Tharadr among the existing clans. The Thevelioll division has only six clans, namely, Amgarh, Koite, Konigore, Marthikedr, Pett and Pirgott II.
PHRATRY
A phratry is derived from the Greek word phrater, which means brother. A phratry is a kin group of brotherhood in which there are several clans combined together. Thus, a phratry is a unilineal descent group composed of at least two clans that are supposedly related. Like individuals of a clan, members of a phratry are unable to trace accurately their descent link to a real apical ancestor though they believe such an ancestor existed.
According to Lowie, Morgan conveniently applied the phratry to a group of two or more clans united for a certain common objective. Further, he pointed out that phratry is evidently nothing but a convenient term for a kin linkage. Even Majumdar and Madan unfold that when a group of clans merge for some reason or another, the emergent grouping is called phratry. A phratry is more common in tribal India among the North Eastern Himalayan tribes and a few tribes of Middle India.
In the North-Western and central Himalayas and middle India, the social class and territorial grouping of the tribe as its sub-division are common. The Kukis and Hmars have two sections of phratry, namely, Rangkhols and Bietas. The Rabhas of Assam have bars as their clan. Two or more bars might unite to form a phratry-Hur. Among the Ao Nagas, the Chungli moiety has a number of phratries, namely, Pngen, Lungkan, Chami etc. The western Rengma Nagas are divided into six exogamous groups, each containing a number of clans. In Middle India, the Raj Gonds have four phratries: Yerwen, Saga, Sarwen, Saga Siwen Saga and Nalwen Saga. These phratries are exogamous groups.
Phratries can be developed through different processes. The reasons behind the joining of one clan with another are varying. According to Lowie, four possible reasons can be identified as
1. More than one clan may unite due to geographical, economic or defence needs without sacrificing all their original occupations. For example, the fishing castes of the Nellore district have sunk their cultural differences and fused into one community.
2. Due to the overgrowth of a particular clan, it may be divided into more than one phratry, taking some members from other clans. For example, the Santhals of Chota Nagpur, now widely scattered in Bengal and Assam, recognize no kinship with the parental stock and have formed endogamous sections.
3. Extinction can be another reason for the development of clans. e.g. among the ‘Todas’ the dual organisation had come into existence through the dying out of all but two exogamous clans of a society.
4. Clans and moieties may emerge separately for separate reasons and combine later on. Lowe has cited some examples from some of the American Indian tribes.
A phratry is a consanguineous group. Sub-divided moieties are also known as phratry, but phratry need not be a moiety. While moiety is a bigger unit of the tribe, the phratry is a smaller one. Within a moiety, a number of phratries can be hidden.
Again, there are many clans found in a phratry. The clan organizations differ from one part of the world to the other. The diversity of clans reflects three main types of organizations.
1. Territorially organized clans: When a particular clan or group of clans is found in a specific territory and is confined within that area, it is a territorially organized clan. For example, the Oller-Gudbas of Koraput, Orissa, are organized within that area only.
2. Totemic clans: This type of clan organization is based on a particular totem. For example, Munias of Buster are divided into four clans, each identifying goats, tigers, etc., as their totems.
3. Clans knowingly nickname: The clans are organized after such nicknames as the Crow-Indians of America.
Thus, the clan is a group of selected kins by birth, and the members of the clan cannot change the clan by choice. There are some common functions generally performed by the clan. The clan ensures:
1. Protection and help to the members during times of need.
2. Unification and integration of the clan members both politically and socially.
3. Legal sanction and security to clan members so that order is maintained in life.
4. The observation of religious and cultural rituals as customs and social relationships can be strengthened and nurtured.
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Vidyarthi, L. P., & Rai, B. K. (1985). The Tribal Culture of India. Concept Publishing Company.
UNIT 1 TRIBAL SOCIAL SYSTEMS
Sharique Hasan - Kin group lineage, clan, phratry and moiety
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