MOIETY
The word moiety is derived from the French word moitié which mean ‘one-half’. When a tribe is socially divided into only two groups based on its social activities, each group is called moiety. The members in each moiety believe them to be descended from a common ancestor even though they can not specify how. But societies with moiety systems have relatively small populations in comparison to societies with phratries and clans. This organization is known as a dual organization. The division of a dual organization is frequently asymmetrical in the division. 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 rooted in the idea of magic fertility since warfare between the two marriages-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 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. But there are more than two clans or exogamous clan-like groups 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 moiety systems of social organization. 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 an 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 namely 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 polluted 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 namely 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 of the same clan.
According to Srinivas in the Central Himalayan region, the Tharus seem to have evolved a dichotomous organization of their own community into two sections namely higher and the 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 a minority has certainly welcomed the name of Thakur for their group of seven sections. They place themselves a little lower than the Rana Thakurs in the social orders.
There are two branches of Mundas in Middle India as 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 is divided into two moieties namely aristocrats and Ryats. Sarora aristocrats have their secular head Gamangs assisted by Dol-Behara as well as Mandal and the religious head Buyya. They are endogamous groups.
The Gonds of Madhya Pradesh have 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 more superior than 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 of Tharthazoll and Thevelioll. These divisions are endogamous in nature 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 together for some reason or the other the emergent grouping is called phratry. 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 in middle India 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 as 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
More than one clan may unite due to geographical, economic or defence needs without sacrificing all their original occupations e.g the fishing castes of the Nellore district have sunk their cultural difference and have fused into one community.
Due to the overgrowth of a particular clan, it may be divided into more than one phratries taking some members from some other clans. eg. Santhals of Chota Nagpur now widely scattered in Bengal and Assam recognise no kinship with the parental stock and have formed endogamous sections.
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.
Clans and moieties may emerge separately for separate reasons and they may combine together 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. It may also be said that within a moiety, a number of phratries can be hidden.
Again there are many clans found in a phratry. The clan organisations differ from one part of the world to the other. Diversity of clans reflect three main types of organisations
Territorially organised clans: When a particular clan or group of clans are found in a specific territory and are confined within that area, it is a territorially organised clan. eg. The Oller-Gudbas of Koraput, Orissa are organised within that area only.
Totemic clans: This type of clan organisation is based on a particular totem. For example, Munias of Buster are divided into four clans identifying goats, tigers etc, as their totems.
Clans knowingly nickname: The clans are organised 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:
Protection and help to the members during times of need.
Unification and integration of the clan members both politically and socially.
Legal sanction and security to clan members so that order is maintained in life.
The observation of religious and cultural rituals as also customs as the 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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