n societies where women are used to transmit property and rights. The Troriand Islands practice this.5. Descent groups are social entities that have a linear descent that can be traced to a real or mythical ancestor. Most commonly, links are formed within parent-child relations.6. A patrilineal descent membership is traced only through the male line. This is mostly seen in male dominated cultures. Chinese society was strongly patrilineal before World War II. With tsu, the primary social unit, only men were traced back to their ancestry. Women were considered absored into her fathers tsu. The male, even when he moved out to another family, retained his strong ties to his tsu.7. In a matrilineal descent, only the female was is traced back to establish membership. This is common with horticulturalists, where women provide the main food source. The Hopi Indians are divided into clans based only on matrilineal descent. Individuals are assigned to his/her mothers clan during birth. Women hold most of the authority within the family and their society.8. Lineage descent groups are ancestor oriented. Members are traced back to common ancestors. Lineage groups are strong and effective as they marry out and build ties with other groups.Clans are lineage groups which have grown large over periods of time and fission occurs. Basically, lineages are broken down to smaller lineage groups. Actual ties are uncertain because tracing back to ancestors become harder. So clan members refer to each other as close relatives. Clan ties arent as strong as lineage descent groups.Phatries are unilineal descent groups composed of two or more clans. They share a common ancestry, but usually not 100% traceable. But phatries firmly believe in their common relationship with their ancestors. In a clan or phatry that is only divided into two groups, they are called moieties. Their ties are much stronger. But like phatries, their ancestral link...
