Woulard and Woullard Family Reunion

"Family" is a term that has both a sociological and scientific meaning. We see that with the various ways that family has been defined in the past and today. We also see the approaches to define family reflected in biological and sociological approaches. What do these differences mean for who we think we are and why?

In many ancient and traditional societies, family is traced through the mother (matrilineal). We are familiar with the nod to this ancient tradition with the contemporary observation, often meant as a put-down, of "mama's baby, daddy's maybe." This is also associated with "dignity" cultures which feel that all people have self-worth regardless of the status or achievements. This approach is relational and based on kinship ties.

While in more recent history (even though we are talking about a long time ago) the rise of  family traced through the father, or patrilineal, has become a dominant cultural practice. With this orientation we find the use of the ideas of 'legitimate' and 'illegitimate' children. This approach is thought to be primarily contractual and designed to define inheritance. It is reflected in the idea of 'bastard' child.

The two cultural approaches of honor cultures and dignity cultures result in big differences of ideas and approaches to issues of identity and worthiness. In dignity cultures, you were born with a purpose. That fact that you are alive means the Creator brought you here with a purpose and therefore you have value. In honor cultures, you have to earn your right to be respected and your value is based on your accomplishments.

The dominant European culture in the United States is a patrilineal honor culture. But echoes of ancestral  Afrikan cultural practices continue to shape and impact  us even today. While the Woulard and Woullard Family Reunion uses the surname of a male potential patriarch, Benjamin Woulard, it clearly identifies our kinship through a matrilineal process because we all recognize and identify our kinship through Mary Woulard. Genetics and genealogy can provide biological and sociological information and context to our journey. But we all know that we are the descendants of mama's babies (Frank, Frances, Martha, Tom, Jerry).

 

 

 

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