: ಅಳಿಯ ಕಟ್ಟು) (Nephew lineage) was, a matrilineal system of tracing origin practiced by many Tulu communities in the area now known as Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

. Marumakkatayam, in Malayalam, was a similar system which operated in the area known today as Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

.

Origins

Some anthropologists, such as Marija Gimbutas

Marija Gimbutas

Marija Gimbutas , was a Lithuanian-American archeologist known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of "Old Europe", a term she introduced. Her works published between 1946 and 1971 introduced new views by combining traditional spadework with linguistics and mythological...

, believe matrilineal societies were common among early primitive human societies. In India, South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

ns were believed to be the last communities to become patriarchal.

Myth of origin

Tuluva

Tuluva

The Tuluva -Geographic Distribution :Though most of the Tuluva population is found in the Tulu Nadu region, migrant poplulations are found the world over. In recent times, the first period of migration started at the beginning of the 20th century to places such as Mumbai and Chennai and other...

s believe Aliya Kattu was adapted at the behest of a king called Bhootala Pandya. The story goes like this. A demon

Demon

call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...

 wanted the king to sacrifice his son. However, none of his queens and sons were ready to be sacrificed. Seeing the difficult situation, king's sister offers her son. However, the demon shows mercy and lets him off. On his part, the king declares his nephew as his true inheritor.

Salient features

• The children are part of the mother's family.
• After marriage the wife would stay at her mother's place and husband would "visit" her. For the Bunt community, the wife would stay with her husband and return to live with her matrilineal family after the husband's death.
• The inheritance of lineage identity in the form of gotra
  Gotra
  In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
  
   (bali or bari or balli or illam) or in the form of ancestral house (tharavad or buttu) is through mother. Marriage between the persons belonging to the same illam was prohibited.
• Among the rulers the heir apparent was the son of the sister.
• The property of the mother is divided among the children in such a way that female children would inherit the major share depending upon number of children they have. A son would get only his share. There were no clear rules for the father's property. Probably, in the earlier times it might have gone solely to nephew. However, it was observed in the later period even though the mother's property distribution would always follow matrilineal inheritance rules (sometimes at the expense of sons), father was free to distribute his property according to his wish.
• Women had the rights to divorce and re-marry.
• The maternal uncle is generally the male head of the family and was known as Karanavar in Malayalam or Yajamana in Tulu/Kannada. Among Bunts the brother would manage the matrilineal family land on behalf of his sister.

Matrilineal communities

Tulu communities which practised a matrilineal system of inheritance included:

• Billava
  Billava
  The Billava, or Ilava people make up one of the largest Hindu communities of the Tulu ethnic group in India. They are also found in the Kannada-speaking Kundapura region of Karnataka and some parts of Kerala, including Kasaragod district...
  
  
• Bunts
  Bunt (community)
  Bunt , previously spelled Bant, are a community of erstwhile nobility, feudatory and gentry from the region of Tulu Nadu in the south west of India which comprises the districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada in the Indian state of Karnataka and Kasaragod taluk of Kerala...
  
  
• Bellara
• Devadiga
  Devadiga
  Devadiga are Tulu speaking Hindu community of temple musicians and Temple attendants who mainly hail from the region of Tulu Nadu in the south west of India which comprises the districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada in the Indian state of Karnataka and Kasaragod taluk of Kerala.-Origins:The name...
  
  
• Holeya
• Mogaveera
• Jains