ayllu
1
9.9
- noun
- Specialized
- In traditional Andean culture, families come together to form an ayllu, which serves as a kinship group for mutual support.
Examples
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Ayllu members owed prescribed labor obligations to other ayllu members based on their kinship and affinal relationships to each other and could expect particular kinds of labor from others in return.
Academic text (1999) -
Ayllu members owed prescribed labor obligations to other ayllu members based on their kinship and affinal relationships to each other and could expect particular kinds of labor from others in return.
Academic text (1999) -
This assured women independent access to the ayllu's resource base.
Academic text (1999) -
Owing to population losses and imbalanced sex ratios, marriage within the ayllu was not always possible.
Academic text (1999) -
In Andean societies, membership in an ayllu gave women and men alike access to subsistence lands and other resources as well as rights to the labor of their kin.
Academic text (1999) -
Kinship based on endogamous marriages was the very definition of the Andean ayllu, which was organized on the principle that all members could trace their descent back to a common ancestral pair.
Academic text (1999) -
The ayllu is fundamental to community life in the Andes, providing access to shared lands and resources.
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Membership in an ayllu fosters strong social bonds, as individuals share responsibilities and benefits with their kin.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Ayllu comes from the Quechua word ayllu, which means 'family' or 'clan' in the Andes. It named a group of relatives who shared land and work, so today ayllu means a traditional Andean community.