How did land inheritance in Yap differ from land inheritance in much of Micronesia?

In most of the Micronesian cultural region, land inheritance and descent were traditionally organized through matrilineage, meaning rights to land were passed down through the mother’s side of the family. While children could sometimes access land through their fathers, matrilineal inheritance remained the regional norm.12

In contrast, Yap differed significantly from this pattern. In Yap, both patrilocal residence—where a newlywed couple lives with the husband's family—and patrilineal inheritance of land were considered the ideal. This distinction highlights the unique social structure of Yap, which also featured a system of ranked endogamous castes, setting it apart from the more common matrilineal traditions found across much of the rest of Micronesia.13