Nayar of India
Nayar of India
Ashford University
ANT 101: Introduction to Anthropology
Jeri Myers
29 November 2010
The Nayar of India that I focused on is known as the Nayar of Kerala. They live in the southern tip of India and have a very unique society and culture. The Nayar or Nair culture is an agricultural state and a warrior caste and a matrilineal society.
The Nayar also believe that they come from a supernatural beginning, and are of a royal lineage and are a high class as they enforced laws, protected land and are land owners to lower castes. Kinship and marriage among the Nayar have caused a lot of controversies in the sense of polygamy in both sexes and the ceremonies of when a girl reaches puberty, also allowing women to have a social standing. Since the Independence of India in 1947 several traditions in the society have changed to become more western. A lot of the information about the culture of the Nayar is hard to differ between the original culture and how it has evolved over the centuries, also that there is more than one Nayar or Nair society throughout India. The Nayar are dominate high Hindu, militant class in Kerala. The Nayar are ranked just closely to the Kshatriyas right after the Nambdiris who are close to royalty. They lived in large joint housed called Taravad, which consisted of a household filled with family related by a common female ancestor.
The ancestress Taravad consisted of her daughters, grandchildren, grandchildren and brothers. The eldest male is known as Karanavar who had legal rights to the Taravad and its possessions. The communal wealth of the Taravad consists of immovable and moveable property which is land that is rented out to lower castes, races or religion which is considered to be part of the ‘untouchable’ society. Their social standing not only comes from the agricultural land that they own, but from their ancestral social status, but from their occupation as warriors and political leaders. Lower castes work the
Ashford University
ANT 101: Introduction to Anthropology
Jeri Myers
29 November 2010
The Nayar of India that I focused on is known as the Nayar of Kerala. They live in the southern tip of India and have a very unique society and culture. The Nayar or Nair culture is an agricultural state and a warrior caste and a matrilineal society.
The Nayar also believe that they come from a supernatural beginning, and are of a royal lineage and are a high class as they enforced laws, protected land and are land owners to lower castes. Kinship and marriage among the Nayar have caused a lot of controversies in the sense of polygamy in both sexes and the ceremonies of when a girl reaches puberty, also allowing women to have a social standing. Since the Independence of India in 1947 several traditions in the society have changed to become more western. A lot of the information about the culture of the Nayar is hard to differ between the original culture and how it has evolved over the centuries, also that there is more than one Nayar or Nair society throughout India. The Nayar are dominate high Hindu, militant class in Kerala. The Nayar are ranked just closely to the Kshatriyas right after the Nambdiris who are close to royalty. They lived in large joint housed called Taravad, which consisted of a household filled with family related by a common female ancestor.
The ancestress Taravad consisted of her daughters, grandchildren, grandchildren and brothers. The eldest male is known as Karanavar who had legal rights to the Taravad and its possessions. The communal wealth of the Taravad consists of immovable and moveable property which is land that is rented out to lower castes, races or religion which is considered to be part of the ‘untouchable’ society. Their social standing not only comes from the agricultural land that they own, but from their ancestral social status, but from their occupation as warriors and political leaders. Lower castes work the