How did women’s food gathering relate to matrilineal descent among some forest nomads?

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distribution of aboriginal South American and circum-Caribbean cultural groups — South American nomad Distribution of aboriginal South American and circum-Caribbean cultural groups.

Among certain South American forest nomads, such as the Guayakí and Sirionó, the social structure was characterized by matrilineal descent and matrilocal residence, meaning individuals traced their ancestry through their mother’s lineage and men resided with their wife’s band.1

This social organization was directly associated with the significant role women played in gathering food. Because women were primary providers through their gathering activities, their contribution was central to the subsistence and stability of the group, which reinforced the importance of the female line in determining kinship and residence patterns.1