Matrilineal Kinship and Matrilocal Households: The Role of Bridal Chambers as the Physical Manifestation of Matrilocality among Mappilas of Malabar

Abstract (English)

Matrilocal residence is one of the prominent characteristics of matrilineal kinship groups. Though many social and cultural aspects of matrilineal kinship are no longer in practice, Mappila Muslims of North Malabar, Kerala, India, retain the matrilocal residence system where the wife stays back with her kin after marriage, and the husband visits and later settles with the wife’s kin. Maniyara, or simply ara, or the bridal chamber, a space newly constructed or renovated at the bride’s house upon the marriage exclusively for the newly married couple, is the most unique manifestation of the matrilocality among the Mappila Muslims. Ranging from simple rooms with just a bed space to extravagantly decorated and lavishly set up bridal chambers, it is the space where the couple spends most of their time post-marriage. The paper looks at how the bridal chamber constitutes a special part of the kinship group and functions as a physical realm which defines the identity of the kinship group. The study was conducted in various parts of Kannur district, Kerala, and the data collection employed multiple methods, including semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, case studies, and narrative analysis. The paper also delves deeper into the intersections of kinship, class, gender, age, occupation, region, and religion. The paper attempts to examine the different ways the space of the bridal chamber becomes a place of negotiation, contestation, and adaptation in the everyday lives of matrilocal Mappila Muslims. The paper also looks at the resilience of the matrilocal subculture as an instance of ‘lived Islam’ in South Asia and how the practice has transformed and reformulated itself over time and space.