Succession & Matriliny

Matrilineal and other succession systems that enabled female political power.

Balobedu Matrilineal Succession: How the Rain Queen’s Heir Is Chosen and Trained

| Succession & Matriliny |

An authoritative examination of the Balobedu system of matrilineal succession, tracing how the Rain Queen’s female heir is identified, ritually trained, and prepared to inherit the sacred rainmaking office. Drawing on oral tradition, colonial archives, and contemporary legal recognition, the article explores the origins, genealogies, gender dynamics, and living status of one of Africa’s most enduring female sovereign institutions.

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Matrilineal Succession in Waalo: The Tedyek, Loggar, and Joos Matriclans and the Election of the Brak and Lingeer

| Succession & Matriliny |

In the Kingdom of Waalo, royal legitimacy flowed through the maternal line. The Brak was elected from among princes born into the Tedyek, Loggar, and Joos matriclans, while the Lingeer exercised complementary sovereignty as guardian of the royal matrilineage. This article examines the origins, political structure, succession mechanisms, and colonial transformation of one of West Africa’s most distinctive dual-gender systems.

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Rainmaking and Matriliny: Did Rain Authority Pass Through Women in Central and Southern Africa?

| Succession & Matriliny |

This article examines the intersection of rainmaking ritual power and matrilineal succession in Central and Southern Africa. Focusing on the Lovedu Rain Queens and the Chewa rain priestess Makewana, it assesses whether rain authority passed through women, the mechanisms of female inheritance, and the limits of colonial and patriarchal interpretations.

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