Lineage Science Research & Documentation
Lineage Science Research & Documentation
It is the Institute’s dedicated research field for studying the structure, condition, continuity, and transformation of African family lineage systems across generations.
The research examines individual families and wider lineage systems to understand how the lineage is currently functioning, what has been preserved, what has been disrupted, and what has been lost or disconnected. This includes examining family bonds, matriarchal continuity, inheritance, lineage gifts, generational patterns, family relationships, succession, and the transmission of knowledge between generations.
The research also investigates factors that may have altered or weakened lineage systems, including the historical influence of colonisation, patriarchal structures, imposed social and family systems, displacement, changes in inheritance practices, and other disruptions to traditional lineage organisation. Historical scholarship supports the importance of examining colonial and other external influences when studying African family and kinship structures.
Areas of Study
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Lineage structure and family organisation
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Current status of African family lineages
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Matriarchal and maternal-line continuity
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Family bonds and broken lineage relationships
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Lineage inheritance and disrupted inheritance
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Lineage gifts and inherited capacities
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Generational patterns and recurring family issues
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Transmission of knowledge between generations
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The influence of patriarchal systems
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The influence of colonisation on lineage structures
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Spiritual contracts and ancestral debts within the Institute’s framework
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Loss, suppression, or interruption of lineage knowledge
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Changes in family roles, authority, succession, and continuity
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Case studies of individual African families and their lineage systems
The Institute documents these findings through family-based studies, lineage assessments, interviews, historical and oral accounts, case studies, comparative research, and systematic documentation. The purpose is to build a growing body of Lineage Science knowledge that can identify patterns across families while respecting that every African lineage has its own history, structure, culture, and circumstances.
The research ultimately asks:
What was the original lineage system?
What is the condition of the lineage today?
What changed?
What was broken, lost, or interrupted?
What inheritance remains?
What can be restored and carried forward?