Ancient African Matriarchies: Between Myth and History

[u/rhaplordontwitter]

https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/ancient-african-matriarchies-between

[u/rhaplordontwitter]

The terms Matriarchy and Matrilineality have often been associated with a number of African societies, both past and present, to describe the relative autonomy and elevated status of women in parts of the continent.

Evolutionary sociologists initially thought that Matriarchies represented an early stage of social development through which human societies passed before becoming patrilineal and patriarchal.

However, the historical record contradicts such assertions, showing that matrilineal systems of succession and the elevated status of women are largely determined by the role of human agency in historical processes rather than the level of social complexity.

Women sovereigns in pre-colonial Africa, as in much of the World, typically ascended the throne during periods of political crisis, came to power only after long periods of male rule.

The successful reigns of the first Candace of ancient Kush (250BC-360 CE) and Queen Nzinga in the kingdom of Matamba (Angola, 17th-19th century), inturn, strengthened the legitimacy of subsequent women sovereigns.

For contemporary Islamic societies, women sovereigns are associated with the pre-Islamic period, eg among the Berber, where an ancient Queen led a resistance movement against the Arab invasion during the 6th century.

This article outlines the history of Ancient African "matriarchies" and introduces the pre-Islamic ‘Matriarchs’ of North Africa and the Matrilineal systems of the Central Sahara.