Latest news with #matrilineal
New York Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘East of Wall' Review: South Dakota Dreaming
A genuine matrilineal bond anchors 'East of Wall,' a naturalistic drama set on a South Dakota ranch where a group of teenagers tame and train horses to be resold at auction. This is where Tabatha (Tabatha Zimiga), a horse whisperer with a steely expression and the mouth of a sailor, comes in. Alongside the teens, Tabatha lives on the property with her hard-bitten mother, Tracey (Jennifer Ehle), and her fast-riding daughter, Porshia (Porshia Zimiga, who is her daughter in real-life). In her first feature, the writer-director Kate Beecroft gathers the right pieces for an authentic regional-realist film, based on Tabatha's life on the ranch. Beecroft and her cinematographer, Austin Shelton, met Tabatha and Porshia while cruising around South Dakota in search of inspiration, and the filmmakers pair shots of the Badlands' rolling topography with hard truths about the struggles underpinning their characters' lives. Those truths shine in one standout scene around a campfire that finds Tracey's buddies sharing stories of trauma and regret. The movie runs into trouble when it shifts from observational to dramatic, especially in a flimsy second act that centers on a contrivance: a wealthy Texan (Scoot McNairy) bids to buy Tabatha's ranch. It's an offer she can refuse, and clearly should. But narrative beats aren't what make 'East of Wall' worth watching. That would be the people — particularly Porshia and her jubilant pals, whose skills in the saddle leave a lasting impression. East of WallRated R for language. Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes. In theaters.
Wall Street Journal
15-07-2025
- Science
- Wall Street Journal
New DNA Evidence Reveals Female-Led Society in Ancient China
Scientists in China have discovered one of the oldest known matrilineal societies—where family lines and inheritance are traced through a community's women, not its men. Archaeologists unearthed the settlement of the female-dominated Neolithic Dawenkou culture in the Shandong province of eastern China near the estuary of the Yellow River—considered the birthplace of Chinese civilization.
South China Morning Post
06-06-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Ancient China was home to earliest known matrilineal society, Neolithic burials reveal
Sometime around 4,500 years ago, a matrilineal community lived in what is now Shandong in eastern China. They farmed millet near the coast, raised animals and possibly engaged in fishing. This was the world's earliest known matrilineal society and it lasted 250 years, maintaining a stable lineage through at least 10 generations, a Chinese-led team has discovered. To decipher their family history, the team analysed ancient DNA from 60 individuals dating to between 2750 and 2500 BC. Their findings confirmed the existence of a Neolithic society that traced its descent through the female line. 'These findings lend support to the hypothesis that early matrilineal systems could emerge and persist in communities without strong mechanisms for wealth accumulation,' the team wrote in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature on Wednesday. Scientists from Chinese institutions including Peking University, Shandong Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Minzu University of China and Sichuan University took part in the research, alongside peers from University College London. They set out to explore what they called 'a key but debated question' of whether early human societies were organised by paternal or maternal descent.
