Grandmothers, Mothers, and Persons of Authority: The Non-patriarchal History of the Bantu Matrilineal Zone, 1500 CE to Independence

In modern Africa there is a large region of Bantu-speaking peoples called the Bantu Matrilineal Zone (BMZ) in which communities have been able to retain their matrilineal heritage. The BMZ is a large region--extending from Angola and Namibia on the west through the Democratic Republic of the Congo east to Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania and then south to Mozambique. While there definitely are societies in the BMZ who currently favor paternal clans over matriclans, one can still find even in very patrilineal communities, remnants of a matrilineal past. This chapter looks specifically at the history of matrilineal communities within the BMZ during the last five hundred years. This is an introduction to the history of peoples who have retained matrilineal worldviews and institutions into the present era, but also a study of their reactions and innovations to changes transpiring around them. The chapter is not an extensive overview of all Bantu matrilineal societies and cosmic families but looks at major changes in these communities. The chapter is divided into two chronological periods: 1500 to 1800 and 1800 to independence.