Lineages of Tay Ethnic Group in Vietnam

Abstract

Lineage refers to people who are born from the same ancestral family, related by blood. Individuals in the lineage are usually linked by three basic relationships, namely: the father’s line (paternal), the mother’ line (maternal) and the wife’s line. Among Tay ethnic minority people's lineages, the chief of the line possesses the greatest authority. The position is hereditary, neither being voted for nor dismissed. Each lineage has rules that every member, no matter what position he or she holds, must comply. Therefore, the rules have become an invisible but durable string that ties all members of the lineage together.