Matrilineal

Matrilineal is a society which is based on female kinship. A matriline traces the line of descent from a female ancestor to her descendant. For instance, the Mosuo tribe which also has a matriarchal culture is matrilineal as the female line is utilized in passing down inheritance. Also, matrilineal descent is observed in Cherokee tribes; since the children are believed to belong to the women, the kinship is traced to maternal ancestors such as the mother, grandmother, and great grand mother.