Among the patrilineal Ao Nagas of Nagaland, family, marriage and kinship constitute the basic institutions through which social life, property, inheritance, authority and community relations are organised. These institutions reflect a strong emphasis on descent through the male line, although women occupy important economic and social positions within the household and wider community. The family among the Ao Nagas is traditionally organised around the patrilineal principle. Descent is traced through the father, and the family is therefore closely associated with the male lineage. Traditionally, the household could include several generations, particularly where sons remained with their parents after marriage. The father or senior male exercised considerable authority over household affairs, property and ritual responsibilities. Sons inherited family property and were expected to continue the lineage and care for ageing parents. Daughters, on marriage, generally became members of their husband's family and lineage. Thus, the family was not merely a domestic unit but also an important unit of economic cooperation, inheritance and social identity. Marriage among the Ao Nagas is traditionally regarded as a socially significant institution that establishes relationships between families and lineages rather than merely between