The Ties that Bound Them: Indigenous Kinship in a Matrilineal Society

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host a ranger-led program exploring the concepts of kinship in matrilineal societies. This program is designed to be stationary and will take place at the entrance to the Brown’s Ferry Federal Road. Participants are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather and are welcome to bring folding chairs.

For those of us who typically trace our lineage, there is a strong patriarchal pull to our familial definitions. We often need not look any further than our own last names to stare down the proverbial barrel of how our families were established. However, indigenous peoples who lived on Moccasin Bend followed a different societal norm, namely one that traced kinship matrilineally, or through their female ancestors. During this program, we hope to learn some of the fundamental differences between these two ways of following our lineage and if one is necessarily more advantageous than the other. We look forward to seeing you on the Bend!