Free sample - Booker T. Washington (1859-1915). translation missing

Booker T. Washington (1859-1915). Booker T. Washington (1859-1915)Introduction This essay gives the brief histories Booker. T Washington and General Armstrong. It discusses these two men’s friendship, their lives and personalities. It also gives the reason for their respect to each other. Booker. T Washington Booker T. Washington was born as a slave at western Virginia farm in the year1859 during the time of severe slavery. Washington states, â€Å"From the time that I can remember anything, almost every day of my life has been occupied in some kind of labor.† Due to this slavery, his exact birth day date and month is not known as well as his ancestry (Knol).   . He was a very substantial force in shaping the progress agenda of the black people in late 19th and early 20th centuries. Washington become the leader of the Negro race in and he was well recognized America. Although he struggled to realize success proof to other black men and women that they could raise themselves, he received much criticism that he kept the Negro down in his place. Also, his leadership became more controversial. His mother gave him a copy of a book known as Webster’s blue-black spelling book which inspired him to begin his education. He started attending night classes where he was about the valu es of hard work for economic and moral strength. In the year 1881, booker t. was invited to Alabama where he was given a responsibility as a principal at a normal school in Tuskegee (Washington T. Pg 3). From 1881 to his death in the year 1915, he exerted much influence on the consciousness of the Negroes. Some organizations and the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People opposed Washington’s policies of racial accommodation. He put more emphasis on industrial and economic education rather than civil and political rights (Cunnigen D, Dennis M Glascoe G. Pg 33). He said, â€Å"In all things that are purely social, we can be as separate as fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress† (Profcover). His Christian character and his education give an insight into himself and his approaches. General Armstrong General Chapman Armstrong was born in 1839 in Wailuku and he was the founder of the Hampton Institute and he was a pragmatic accommodationist who dedicated his life and energies to the actions that aimed at changing the hearts, minds and the social structures of the Negroes. He asserted that â€Å"it meant something to Hampton School, and perhaps to the ex-slaves of America, that, from 1820 to 1860, the distinctly missionary period, there was worked out in the Hawaiian Islands, the problem of emancipation, enfranchisement and Christian civilization of dark-skinned Polynesian people in many respects like the Negro race.† He educated and inspired them to resume their inferior positions in the South's social structures (Lindsey F. Pg 1-2) His greatest success was Booker T. Washington who graduated from Hampton and the first principal of Tuskegee Institute. Armstrong was inspired by Washington’s statement that â€Å"In all things that are purely social, we can be as separate as fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress†. This made him to develop his vision for the Indian education and he had a dream of a model multiracial society at the Hampton Institute. He was recruited into the army where he rose to higher ranks. At the age of 51 his left side of the body was paralyzed by strokes which led to his death. He was buried at the school cemetery as simple soldier. (Lindsey F. Pg 6). Washington's friendship with General Armstrong Washington said that the greatest benefit he received when he joined Hampton washis friendship with General Armstrong who would become his benefactor and mentor (Haskins J Jim H. Pg 105). When he made the most important decision of enrolling in Hampton, they became friends with General Armstrong who was the principal of the school. Armstrong made arrangements for the northern philanthropist to pay tuition fees for Washington. Booker T. was made a school janitor and he was given a room in the school. He graduated from Hampton min the year 1875 and he was given a responsibility of teaching in a program for the Native Americans. He was offered a position of a principal of a school that trained back teachers in Tuskegee which was authorized by the legislature of Alabama after spending two years teaching in his native West Virginia. This position was offered to him through the influence of General Armstrong because of their close friendship. This position made Washington to be famous in the entire world. It was General Armstrong who taught Washington the important doctrines of economic advancement and conciliation of the whites. Washington recruited many students from the county and he held the institute’s first classes (Haskins J Jim H. Pg 106). Reasons why Booker T. Washington and General Armstrong held respect for each other Booker T. Washington respected General Chapman Armstrong because he was the most influential person in his life. Also he gave him respect because he led the black troops in the Civil War and his ability to convince the freedmen that there future laid entirely in industrial and practical education. Armstrong also instilled Christian virtues in the freedmen. On the other hand general Armstrong respected booker t. Washington because he was extraordinarily clever and ambitious person. General Armstrong's also respected him because he effectively assimilated his emphasis on industrial skills and the required building of character.    Conclusion These two men shaped the black American education as they improved the industrial education which enabled the African-American people to get a share in the national industrialization.

Polis - Ancient Greek City-States

Polis - Ancient Greek City-States The polis (plural, poleis)- also known as a city-state- was the ancient Greek city-state. The word politics comes from this Greek word. In the ancient world, the polis was a nucleus, the central urban area that could also have controlled the surrounding countryside. (The word polis could also refer to the citys body of citizens.)  This surrounding countryside (chora or ge) could also be considered part of the polis. Hansen and Nielsen say there were around 1500 archaic and classical Greek poleis. The region formed by a  cluster of poleis, bound geographically and ethnically, was an ethnos (pl. ethne).   Pseudo-Aristotle defines the Greek polis as an assemblage of houses, lands, and property sufficient to enable the inhabitants to lead a civilized life [Pounds]. It was often a lowland, agricultural central area surrounded by protective hills. It may have started as numerous separate villages that banded together when its mass became large enough to be almost self-sustaining. The Largest Greek Polis The polis of Athens, the largest of the Greek poleis, was the birthplace of democracy. Aristotle saw the household oikos as the basic social unit of the polis, according to J. Roy. Athens was the urban center of Attica; Thebes of Boeotia; Sparta of the southwestern Peloponnese, etc. At least 343 poleis belonged, at some point, to the Delian League, according to Pounds. Hansen and Nielsen provide a list with member poleis from the regions of Lakonia, the Saronic Gulf (to the west of Corinth), Euboia, the Aegean, Macedonia, Mygdonia, Bisaltia, Chalkidike, Thrace, Pontus, the Pronpontos, Lesbos, Aiolis, Ionia, Karia, Lykia, Rhodes, Pamphyli, Kilikia, and poleis from unlocated regions. The End of the Greek Polis It is common to consider the Greek polis ended at the Battle of Chaironeia, in 338 B.C, but An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis argues that this is based on the assumption that the polis required autonomy and that was not the case. Citizens continued to run their citys business even into the Roman period. Sources An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis, edited by Mogens Herman Hansen and Thomas Heine Nielsen, (Oxford University Press: 2004).An Historical Geography of Europe 450 B.C.-A.D. 1330; by Norman John Greville Pounds. American Council of Learned Societies. Cambridge University Press 1973.Polis and Oikos in Classical Athens, by J. Roy; Greece Rome, Second Series, Vol. 46, No. 1 (Apr., 1999), pp. 1-18, citing Aristotles Politics 1253B 1-14.

New Zealand accounting standards Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

New Zealand accounting standards - Assignment Example International Accounting Standards Board conducts public meetings to ensure transparency in order to produce new or updated financial reporting standards.This procedure has been adopted to ensure transparency and to involve the opinion of the public. The procedure ensures constant engagement with the stakeholders like investors, analysts, regulators, business leaders, accounting standard-setters and the professional accountants and auditors at national and international levels (Smart, Bourke, & Awan, 2008). ANSWER 2a: External Reporting Board (XRB) is an independent crown entity developed under section 22 of the Financial Reporting Act 1993 (as amended in 2011). Main responsibilities of XRB are: Development and implementation of the overall strategy related to financial reporting standards, auditing and assurance standards. Responsible for preparing and issuing of accounting standards. Responsible for preparing and issuing of auditing and assurance standards (XBR, 2011). Other respon sibilities of XRB include preparing and issuing of ethical and professional standards and providing guidelines for conduct. Liaising with organizations on national and international levels on matters that apply functions that are in correspondence with or share similar features with those presented in XRB (NZICA, 2011). ANSWER 2b: Initially, New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountant (NZICA) was responsible for development and implementation of financial reporting standards. ... It has been planned to achieve the same in the current year, i.e.2012. Under the Financial Reporting Act 1993 (FRA), the responsibilities for financial reporting standards setting have been divided between two bodies which are: New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA) and the Accounting Standards Review Board (ASRB). Accounting Standards Review Board (ASRB) is also an independent crown entity. The mechanism has been changed and the new mechanism is as follows: 1. The Financial Reporting  Standards Board (FRSB), which is a board of NZICA,  will submit the draft standards  to the Accounting Standards Review Board (ASRB) for consideration.    2. NZICA is responsible for setting up of auditing and assurance standards for its  members. 3.   The Professional Standards Board (PSB), which is another board  of NZICA, submits draft standards to NZICA’s Board for consideration and approval. 4. Standards approved  from NZICA are then obligatory on members.    5. Non-members of NZICA can  carry out statutory audits provided they belong to an overseas professional  accounting body, providing that the Registrar of Companies has approved the  individual or the professional accounting body to which they belong.    6. Hence, the standards approved by the NZICA Board do not form any binding in formal status in relation to  overseas-qualified auditors who are not members of NZICA (NZICA 2010a). ANSWER 2c: On whole, it is expected that External Reporting Board (XRB) will provide better quality of financial reporting standards. It is expected because of the reason that the new financial reporting arrangement has recently been approved by Minister of Commerce of New Zealand and it has been considered as a significant milestone in the establishment of the new

Johnson International Corporation Research Paper

Johnson International Corporation - Research Paper Example The net revenue of the company in the last year was $200 million and the net Income was $10 million. The company mainly generates its business from military and DoD related logistics services. Apart from its branch offices, the company has recently developed an online platform for itself. According to the CEO of Johnson International Corporation (JIC), the intention of the company is to become more competitive and offer superior services to the customers. Hence in order to fulfil this obligation, the top leads of the company have suggested an overall reengineering review of all aspects of the organization. This can be carried out with the help of a system approach. Although the company has earned high profits in the last couple of years, more capital is required to carry out the engineering review and implement information technology in their operational system. In order to reduce operation cost the company has reduced the IT budget to 10 % and travel & training budgets to 10 % for t he last 2 years. Nonetheless, Johnson International Corporation (JIC) did not laid off any off their staff members. This project will now elaborate on the possible ways by which the company can provide improved customer services and also become more competitive in the market place. Based on the discussion, the study will develop some alternative solutions and from that the most viable one will be selected. The purpose of the study is to uncover the problems faced by the company. In addition the purpose of the study is also to provide a number of alternative solutions to fix that issue. Finally, the aim of the project is to provide recommendations to the company, regarding how they can improve their performance. Systems thinking can be defined as a process of understanding how things pertaining to systems interacts and influences each other on a whole. The examples of systems thinking are ecosystem where elements such as water, air,

Heterosexual Marriage Essay Example for Free

Heterosexual Marriage Essay In our time we can see different sex marriages: homosexual and heterosexual, but which one is better for us. None of us would be in the world if we didn’t have a mother and father. God created a man and a woman as the top of his creativity. As they say a woman completes a man and a man completes a woman. This is openness to a new life, which implies a necessity of heterosexual union. In my opinion, the word marriage should only apply to a union between a man and a woman because this marriage is legal everywhere, they have the human procreation, and better raise them children. First of all, I think that union between man and woman is legal everywhere because it is not just in the government law and in religion too. In the world this marriage is legal in all countries, and acceptable in all religious movements. The state recognizes this relationship as a public institution in its laws because the relationship makes a unique and essential contribution to the common good. In some countries they do not recognize gay-marriage, just the union between female and male. For example, in Bible God said:† It is not good for man to be alone†, a man leaving his parents and being jointed to his wife. The Bible clearly identifies marriage as being between a man and a woman. The second thought is heterosexual marriage having the human procreation. The purpose of marriage is to procreation children, so same sex marriage comes down to the biology of the sex organs. For example, a man and woman can have a child, but a woman and a woman, or a man and a man cannot. Therefore, same-sex couples cannot procreate a new life; they cannot realize this basic function of marriage. The heterosexual have every opportunity to continue to race, and also a healthy way that is not bad for the child. The last important thought, that a union between a man and a woman can better raise a child. The marital union also, provides the best conditions for raising children: namely, the stable, loving relationship of a mother and a father present only in marriage. They will not confuse the child who he or she is. For example, father is always your child’s teacher; a mother also, gives more affection and love. If we combine these two thoughts together, the children will growth completely. So, I think that the kids need both parents: a father and a mother to grow in good family. I can say that the word marriage should only apply to a union between a man and a woman because this marriage is legal everywhere, they have the human procreation, and better raise them children. This marriage is the lifetime union of a man and a woman, primarily for the purpose of build a family and provide a stable environment for that family. This is assurances of the descendant’s family, duration of their family, and savings family’s tradition. This type of marriage suitable to the human more than any others, this gives more conditions continuation of human race, and can stay legal everywhere.

Tecumsehs confederation Essays -- essays research papers

Tecumseh was a very significant Native American who gave his life for what he believed. He knew that the Americans were a tremendous threat to all Indian tribes, and realized that the Indians would be destroyed one by one if not united. Tecumseh created a confederation of thirty-two tribes in hopes that the Americans would recognize their borders and thus put a halt to westward expansion. His confederation may have succeeded if it were not for the mistakes made by his brother, Laulewasika, the Americans violent actions towards the Indian tribes, and the unwillingness of the different tribes to cooperate. Tecumseh was born in March of 1768. His real name was Tecumtha, which meant "panther lying in wait," but to the white men he was called Tecumseh which stood for "shooting star." His father was a Shawnee war chief named Puckeshinwa who was an intelligent man that saw the advantage of keeping friendly relations with the Americans (Patriot 137). When Tecumseh was a young boy, his father was shot by a group of settlers that were in the Shawnee's land. When his father did not come home, Tecumseh went out in search of him. When he found his father dying from the wound and learned what had happened he was filled with rage and animosity towards the white people (Patriot 140). Tecumseh was very young at the time of his father's death, so he was raised by his Mother and his brothers and sisters. His mother taught him to hate the Americans and never let him forget that they had killed his father. His oldest brother Chiksika taught him to be a warrior, and his sister told him to have respect for his elders and to respect all people. A Shawnee chief by the name of Blackfish also adopted Tecumseh into his family, and acted as a father figure. Blackfish saw the Americans as a threat and urged that they had to be stopped. Each of these peoples instilled in him different characteristics which played a large role in the rest of his life (Blodgett). When he was still young he wanted to stop the settlers from further moving into the Indians land, so himself and a group of Shawnee's made the Ohio River so hazardous that the traffic on the river almost completely stopped (Patriot 142). When he was visiting his sister in Ohio he met a young American girl named Rebecca Galloway. She taught Tecumseh to speak some English and helped him to learn to r... ...t tribes what had happened, blaming the Winnebagos for the loss. Groups of Indians attacked settlers in Indiana and Illinois to get back at the Americans. These attacks scared the Americans and soon they raised an army and attacked the individual tribes, and almost starting a war (Blodgett). Finally when the war of 1812 started between the Americans and the British assisted by the Indians, the hopes of a confederation were almost completely lost. Tecumseh, along with a couple of Indians joined the British army where he was placed at the rank of brigadier-general. But at the Battle of Themes on October 6, 1813 he was killed, forever destroying all hope of there being a Confederation of all the Indian tribes (Dictionary 1127). Tecumseh was a very courageous and honorable warrior who fought and died for his people. Tecumseh saw himself not as a Shawnee, but as an Indian, and knew that his people had no chance to survive if they were not united. His plan to combine all the different tribes under one confederation could have worked if there had not been so much opposition from the Americans.

Matrilineal Societies

Sociologyindex, Sociology Books 2011, Matrilineal Descent, Patrilineal Descent Matrilineal societies are those societies in which descent is traced through mothers rather than through fathers. In matrilineal societies, property is often passed from mothers to daughters and the custom of matrilocal residence may be practiced. In matrilineal societies, the descendants of men are their sister's children and not their own, who belong to their mother's matrilineage. Matrilineage is sometimes associated with polyandry or group marriage where women have a variety of sexual partners and lines of male descent are uncertain. Ancient societies are known to have recognised matrilineal descent. Matriliny is not the mirror image of patriliny. Matrilineal societies differ from both patrilineal and bilateral societies in that the institution of marriage tends to be, relatively weak (Schneider and Gough 1961, Goode 1963). In a gerontocratic matrilineal society, women's influence and prestige tended to increase with age and were usually expressed in informal settings, although there were offices of formalised informality such as â€Å"mothers† of matrilineages. Matriliny required the subordination of marriage and conjugal duties to loyalty to and participation in the descent group. This, combined with economic activities, farming, artisan work, and trading, gave women considerable independence. Women (like elders) had prestige in the matrilineal home town, where black stools symbolised the â€Å"seat of power. † (Bartle). In a matrilineal society, women generally have a greater autonomy in terms of sexuality and reproduction than their counterparts in male dominated societies. The woman in a matrilineal society represents the clan and her children carry on the name of her clan. Land Inheritance and Schooling in Matrilineal Societies: Evidence from Sumatra – Agnes R. Quisumbing, and Keijiro Otsuka Abstract: This paper explores statistically the implications of the shift from communal to individualized tenure on the distribution of land and schooling between sons and daughters in matrilineal societies, based on a Sumatra case study. The inheritance system is evolving from a strictly matrilineal system to a more egalitarian system in which sons and daughters inherit the type of land that is more intensive in their own work effort. While gender bias is either non-existent or small in land inheritance, daughters tend to be disadvantaged with respect to schooling. The gender gap in schooling, however, appears to be closing for the generation of younger children. – capri. cgiar. org/wp/capriwp14. asp Gough, K. (1961) â€Å"The modern disintegration of matrilineal descent groups,† in D. M. Schneider and K. Gough (eds. ) Matrilineal Kinship, Berkeley, U. Calif. , pp. 631-54 Oppong, C. (1974) Marriage Among a Matrilineal Elite, Cambridge University Press. Matrilineal Society in India – Dr. Madhumita Das When most of the people in the world follow the patrilineal system, there exist a few groups here and there who believed to be the descendants of Japheth (son of Noah), and are followers of the matrilineal system (Syiemlieh, 1994). At the global level, the existence of matrilineal society is found among the tribes of African countries, in some part of Southeast Asia and among three groups of India. It is the Minangkabaus of West Sumatra, Indonesia, comprising the largest ethnic group in the world who follow a matrilineal system (Tanius, 1983). In Indian context, the matrilineal social system is found only among small pockets of south the and northeast India. The Nairs and Mappilles in Kerala, the tribal groups of Minicoy Island and the Khasis and the Garos of Meghalaya are the followers of matrilineal system. However, the matrilineal system of the African countries differs considerably from that of the Southeast Asian groups. Even within India, the system differs from one group to another (Kapadia, 1966). Among these groups, difference is mostly observed in the type of residence after marriage. The pattern of duo-local residence exists among the Ashanti of the Gold Coast in Africa, Minangkhau of Sumatra and the Nayars of Central Kerala. However, the Khasis of Meghalaya, generally follow the residential pattern known as â€Å"matrilocal residence†, where the husband resides with his wife's matrilineal kin or in other case couples settle down together in a new residence in and around his wife's maternal place (neo-local residence). Methodology This work discusses the changes that are occurring among the only few existent matrilineal setup in the world in terms of their attitudes and behaviour. In order to discuss the changes, the existing literature has been reviewed and they are supplemented by in-depth interviews of a few key informants. The key informants include eminent academicians, elderly persons of different localities, local heads, social workers and persons representing the younger generation. In addition, two focus group discussions (FGD) were done with women from different age groups. The idea behind this exercise is to clearly identify those features that have been characterising the matrlineal system of the Khasi tribe these days. Along with the qualitative analysis, the profile of women living in original matrilineal arrangement as against those who have completely transited in the form of percentage distribution is also presented. A few socio-economic, demographic, and developmental characteristics of both women and her husband has been taken into consideration. Lastly, a multivariate analysis has been undertaken to substantiate the findings from bivariate analysis and to find out the factors, which brought changes among the society. Study Area The basic aim of the study is to understand the structure of matrilineal system and the changews that has taken place in it over the period of time among the Khasis of Meghalaya. In Meghalaya there exists three tribal groups, namely Khasi, Jaintia and Garo. The state is predominantly inhabited by the Khasi tribe, who are known for their matrilineal social system. The sample design adopted was a multistage design, fitted to the study requirements. Given the resources available, it was decided to cover 600 eligible women (currently married Khasi women age 15–49 years), all from (erstwhile) East Khasi Hills district. The choice of East Khasi Hills over West Khasi Hills was purely purposive. According to 1991 census, little over 33 per cent population of the East Khasi Hills district live in the urban areas. Thus, it was decided to cover 200 eligible women (33 per cent of 600) from the urban areas and the remaining 400 women from the rural areas. The Khasi Matriliny: An Overview The term matriarchy or matriliny has become inseparably associated with the Khasi social organisation since it was first used in 1914 by Gurdon to describe Khasi social customs (Das. Gupta, 1964). Although the term is used to explain the pattern of residence after marriage among the Khasis, it is, however, known that matrilocal residence is not an invariable concomitant of matriarchal or matrilineal society. As among the Nayars of India, though they are also the followers of matrilineal system, the residential system among them is duolocal, where husband is usually the night visitor to their wife. Before we begin to understand the nature of Khasi social organisation, it becomes necessary, to clear that the general rule of matrilineal system is that females inherit property. However, it must be noted that at the outset the system of inheritance is governed by some code of rules, which, if taken in its totality and richness, can hardly be described as simple. In fact, the Khasi society is more complex and vivid than what is it apparent. The Khasis have matrilocal residence and matrilineal descent. Participation in the family religion and the common sepulchre, where bones of the members of the family are interred after death, are the two elements that bind the members together. Besides the matrilocal residential pattern and matrilineal descent, family property is mainly transmitted through the female line. The children of the male do not belong to the family. The youngest daughter, Ka Khadduh, in a Khasi family is in charge of the family religion. She cremates her mother and inters her bones in the common sepulchre (a place where the bones are kept with a huge stone over it which is different in shape for males and females). Marriage is a great social institution among the Khasis, as it determines the system of matrilocal residential pattern among them (Sinha, 1970). Being the followers of a unique social system of matriliny, the Khasi women enjoy a special place of status and dignity (Kyndiah, 1990). A Khasi woman is the guardian and preserver of the family goods. She plays a crucial role in the affairs of the family. However, she is not the head of the family, as this is left to a male member. The father of the family has a definite role to play in the household affairs. However, his role is limited to the final word of the maternal uncle. When Christianity came, the Khasi family was aced with the question whether a â€Å"Ka Khaduh† could hold the family property if she would convert to the Christianity. In 1918, the Government ruled that Christian converts should be allowed to inherit the ancestral property. Property is thus divorced from religion. Though religion was divorced from the traditional rules, because of the modernisation process, such as, educational development along with the spread of Christianity, that had somehow changed the traditional system in many respect (Roy, 1964). The original system and moral efficacy has now a days been largely distorted (Bareh, 1994). The literature shows that a shift is taking place in the matrilineal society towards parental or patrilineal one (Tanius, 1983; Syiemlieh, 1994). Syiemlieh (1994), in his write-up on the Khasis and their matrilineal system has explained that due to some basic reasons there exists a transition in the matrilineal set-up in Meghalaya. This transition in the matrilineal society is due to the changes in the overall set-up. Such changes can be the result of factors like the intermingling with other neighbouring patriarchal communities, the advent of missionaries and spread of Christianity among these tribal groups. The spread of urbanisationand urban development along with the spread of Christianity have changed the perception and attitude of people among the Khasis ( Kapadia, 1966; Syiemlieh, 1994). Thus from the above review we get the idea that over time these matrilineal societies are undergoing changes in its characteristics. On the basis of the above literature, each characteristic feature has been given weightage to categorize the sample women in two groups, viz. , Traditional: Women fulfilling all three criteria or those who possess at least ownership right along with matrilocal residential pattern or matrilocal residential pattern and descent through female. Transitional:Women who follow none of the criteria or only descent. It is found from the above categorisation that 55 per cent of sample women are from the traditional group while the remaining 45 per cent are from the transitional group. The Traditional women will be refereed to as ‘traditional women’, whereas women in Transitional group will be referred to as ‘transitional women’. It may be relevant to mention here that these nomenclatures are used for the purpose of conceptual categorisation of these two groups of women according to their characteristics assessed at the time of survey. Yet another issue that needs to be kept in mind is that the term ‘traditional’ is not used as opposed to ‘modern’. It may be emphasised that women in traditional group are the followers of all the three or the first two important characteristics of the matrilineal system, i. e. , property ownership right, matrilocal residence and/or family name through mother’s side. Socio-economic and Demographic Characteristics ofWomen in Matrilineal Set-up Type of Residence Type of residence is one of the important determinants that has its effect on the changes that take place in any society, as well as, on the changing perception of people towards traditions. Women from traditional group are mostly concentrated in rural areas (79 per cent). What is, however, more interesting is that 21 per cent women following the matrilineal system live in urban areas and also almost half of the women who have deviated from matrilineal system continue to live in rural areas. This indicates that the transition that we witness in Khasi society is a complex phenomenon operating at family level than merely the outcome of urbanisation and modernisation process.