What is "marumakkathayam"

Marumakkathayam was a system of matrilineal inheritance prevalent in what is now Kerala State in India. Under the Marumakkathayam system of inheritance, descent and the inheritance of property was traced through females.

Marumakkathayam literally meant inheritance by sisters' children as opposed to sons and daughters. The word 'marumakkal' in Malayalam means nephews and nieces. The joint family under the matrilineal system is known as Tharavad and it formed the nucleus of the society in Malabar. This customary law of inheritance was codified by the Madras Marumakkathayam Act 1932, Madras Act No. 22 of 1933 published in the Fort St. George Gazette on 1 August 1933. Malabar was part of the Madras Presidency during British rule. In the Madras Marumakkathayam Act 1932, 'Marumakkathayam' is defined as the system of inheritance in which descent is traced in the female and 'Marumakkathayee' means a person governed by the Marumakkathayam law of inheritance. ‘Tarawad’ means the group of people forming a joint family with community of property governed by the Marumakkathayam law of inheritance. This system of inheritance is now abolished by The Joint Family System (Abolition) Act, 1975 by the Kerala State Legislature.