Family and land in peasant ritual

American Ethnologist • Vol/Iss. 3 • Published In • Pages: 87-96 •
By Michaelson, Evalyn Jacobson, Goldschmidt, Walter

Hypothesis

"When we examine the relationship between ancestral shrines and patrilineal inheritance of land, we find that there is a high correlation. . . . Among the households in these patrilineal communities family rituals are held more consistently . . . [and] with greater frequency" (90)

Test

Test NameSupportSignificanceCoefficientTail
Chi squareSupportedp<.005UNKNOWNUNKNOWN

Variables

Variable NameVariable Type OCM Term(s)
Household ShrinesDependentReligious Practices
Land InheritanceIndependentInheritance
Rituals For Family DeadDependentCult Of The Dead

Related Hypotheses

Main AuthorHypothesis
Michaelson, Evalyn Jacobson". . . moral pressures [ranging from sense of moral obligation to preserve family land to conception of retaining land in family line as a sacred duty] are highly correlated with patrilineal land inheritance . . . And, more over, are frequently an integral part of the symbolic structure of the ancestral cult" (92)
Nimkoff, M. F."…residence is associated with inheritance of property. In patrilocal societies inheritance is largely patrilineal and in matrilocal societies, matrilineal, although in the latter the degree of association is not as high as in the former" (42)
Gouldner, Alvin W.Findings: Factor L, "Lineality", is bipolar. Traits which load heavily and positively (oblimax rotation) are: patripotestal family authority, patrilineal inheritance, patrilineal descent, patrilineal succession, and subjection of women. Negative loadings are for matrilineal inheritance and descent (21)
Johnson, G. DavidMarriage payments, patrilineal descent, patrilocal residence, extended family forms and importance of inheritance rules will be positively associated with sexual dominance (679)
Michaelson, Evalyn Jacobson"There is a weak correlation between adherence to the Buddhist Great Tradition and the presence of ancestral shrines. . . . Frequent ritual observances for the ancestors are not limited to one religious tradition, but they are more likely to be found in Buddhist communities than in non Buddhist communities in our sample" (88, 89-90)