Hmong And Minangkabau Culture Essay

Descent and Kinship in Hmong and Minangkabau Culture Kinship and Descent patterns within a society provide a strong base from which other aspects of a culture can branch. How a family is run, whether it be matrilineal, patrilineal, or neither can provide insight to a societies basic political processes and social norms. These factors decide the familial roles within a community, and determine who holds power within the family, tribe, and nation. As far as matriliny goes, the Minangkabau are a great example of how it can be successful. As historians and anthropologists discuss this form of female-run society, many concerns arise about whether or not it is a practical system. In many western patriarchal cultures, females serve a reproductive role while the males are the providers and decision makers; looking out for the females and thereby continuing their family line. This, to many people who live in a patriarchal society, is the most logistic way to go about living. The females do what they are biologically equipped to do, and so do the males. The …show more content…
Their culture is very interesting to study due to the fact that there is more emphasis placed upon loyalty to one’s family, or xeem, than to the village or people as a whole. This is due in part to the fact that the Hmong are a migratory culture who practices slash-and-burn subsistence patterns. When a member of a certain clan is travelling or migrating, all they must do in order to find shelter and hospitality is find someone from the same clan or family. The value of family or the clan holds very high esteem in the Hmong culture. The men with the Hmong culture are also the head of the household and village. Traditionally the oldest married man holds the land and power within a clan or family. The Hmong men also marry outside of their clan. The marriages are arranged by the men of both clans involved, and the Hmong are usually married in their middle-teen