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=== Land inheritance ===
Land inheritance customs greatly vary across cultures. The Ethnographic Atlas gives the following data regarding land distribution: [[primogeniture]] predominates in 247 societies, while [[ultimogeniture]] prevails in 16. In 19 societies land is exclusively or predominantly given to the one adjudged best qualified, while equality predominates in 301 societies.<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://eswww.scribd.com/doc/9285782/Ethnographic-Atlas-Codebook | title=Ethnographic Atlas Codebook | journal=World Cultures | year=1998 | volume=10 | issue=1 | pages=86-136}}</ref> Regarding land inheritance rules, in 340 societies sons inherit, in 90 other patrilineal heirs (such as brothers), in 31 sister's sons, in 60 other matrilineal heirs (such as daughters or brothers), and in 98 all children. In 43 societies land is given to all children, but daughters receive less. It is also noteworthy that inIn 472 societies, the distribution of inherited land follows no clear rules or information is missing, while in 436 societies inheritance rules for real property do not exist or data is missing; this is partly because there are many societies where there is little or no land to inherit, (such as in [[hunter-gatherer]] societies, pastoral societies or forager societies).
[[Patrilineal primogeniture, also called]] [[male primogeniture]], where the (eldest son inherits), was customary among
many cultures around the world. Patrilineal [[ultimogeniture]], alsowhere calledthe male ultimogeniture (youngest son inherits), was customary among a number of cultures including: [[Fur people|Fur]], [[Fali people|Fali]], [[Sami people|Sami]] (also called Lapp), [[Moldovan people|Moldovan]], Czech, Ukrainian, German, Swiss, [[Bashkir people|Bashkir]], [[Chuvash people|Chuvash]], [[Gagauz people|Gagauz]], [[Vepsians|Vep]], [[Tatar people|Tatar]], [[Achang people|Achang]], [[Ayi people|Ayi]], [[Atayal people|Atayal]], [[Kachin people|Kachin]], [[Biate people|Biate]], [[Chinantec]], [[Hmar]], [[Mro people|Mro]], [[Kom people (India)|Kom]], [[Purum people|Purum]], and [[Lushei tribe|Lushei or Lushai]] (sometimes mistakenly taken for the whole [[Mizo people|Mizo]] people, especially in the past).
Among English peasants there was no clearly prevalent inheritance pattern, while Spanish [[Basque people|Basques]] gave their land to the one considered best qualified, though they had a preference for sons. Giving more or less equal shares of land to sons, but excluded daughters was also common in many populations, as was giving relatively equal shares to both sons and daughters or slightly less to daughters. The same system prevails in contemporary Egypt and most [[Arab]] groups (see [[Sharia]]). Most non-[[Arab]] Muslims, with some exceptions ([[peoples of the Caucasus|Caucasians]], [[Iranian peoples|Iranians]]), historically followed their own inheritance customs, not those of the Sharia. In [[Ancient Egypt]], the eldest son inherited twice moreas thanmuch theas other sons, accordingand toin earlier times he was the Hermopolissole Codex,heir.<ref>{{cite book | title=Studies in biblicalBiblical law [electronic resource]Law: fromFrom the Hebrew Bible to the ...Dead Sea Scrolls |first publisher=GershonBloomsbury Publishing |last author=Brin, Gershon |url year=http://books.google.es/books?id1994 | pages=z_iMdqTr-iMC&pg=PA246&lpg246 | isbn=PA246&dq=%22According+to+the+Hermopolis+Codex%22&source=bl&ots=qt6kPkFzgP&sig=G677165GndsaAJg2spix2p58-1k&hl=es&sa=X&ei=teXKUaKEIqaR7AbIz4DgBw&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22According%20to%20the%20Hermopolis%20Codex%22&f=false9781850754848}}</ref> and in earlier times he was the sole heir.<ref>Title:{{cite Inheritancebook | Author: Lippert, Sandra, Universität Tübingen Publication Date: 2013 url=http://escholarship.org/uc/item/30h78901#page-2 | title=Inheritance | publisher=UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology | author=Lippert, Sandra | year=2013 | pages=2}}</ref>
Among the [[Lao people|Lao]], the [[Aceh]], the [[Guanches|Guanche]], and the [[Minangkabau people|Minangkabau]], all daughters inherited equal shares of land. The [[Cham people|Cham]], the [[Pnar people|Jaintia]], the [[Garo people|Garo]] and the [[Khasi people|Khasi]] practiced female ultimogeniture. Primogeniture regardless of the sex of the child (eldest child inherits regardless of his or her sex) was customary among the [[Paiwan people|Paiwan]], the [[Ifugao]], the [[Chugach people|Chugach]] and the French Basques, while ultimogeniture regardless of the sex of the child (youngest child inherits regardless of his or her sex) was customary among the [[Chuvash people|Chuvash]] and the [[Mari people|Mari]].
ThereBilateral haveprimogeniture beenis other,a rarer customscustom of inheritance, suchwhere as bilateralthe primogeniture (eldest son inherits from the father, and the eldest daughter inherits from the mother). This practice was common among the Classic [[Mayas]], who transmitted the family's household furnishings from mother to eldest daughter, and the family's land, houses and agricultural tools from father to eldest son.<ref>{{cite web|title=Some Postclassic Questions About The Classic Maya Munro|publisher=S. Edmonson Tulane University|url=http://www.mesoweb.com/pari/publications/rt04/edmonson.pdf}}</ref> It was also seen in the Greek island of [[Karpathos]], where the family's house was transmitted from mother to eldest daughter, and the family's land was transmitted from father to eldest son.<ref>Vernier, 1984. {{full|date=June 2014}}</ref> Among the [[Igorot]], the father's land is inherited by his eldest son and the mother's land is inherited by her eldest daughter.<ref>POPULATION{{cite GROWTHweb AND| CUSTOMARYurl=http://www.vanuatu.usp.ac.fj/sol_adobe_documents/usp%20only/customary%20law/mendoza.pdf LAW| ONtitle=Population Growth and Customary Law on LANDLand: the case of Cordillera villages in the Philippines by| Loreleipublisher=National Crisologo-MendozaUniversity (KULeuvenof Ireland, BelgiumMaynooth and| UPCollegeBaguioauthor=Crisologo-Mendoza, Philippines)Lorelei and Dirk Van de Gaer, (NationalDirk University of Ireland, Maynooth)| date=November 1997*|accessdate=05 http://www.vanuatu.usp.ac.fj/sol_adobe_documents/usp%20only/customary%20law/mendoza.pdfJune 2014}}</ref>
Land inheritance customs, thus, greatly vary across cultures. However, inheritanceInheritance customs are sometimes considered a culturally distinctive aspect of a society; for example, the customs of [[primogeniture]] predominant among many northeastern Indian tribes have been considered as possible proof of the possibletheir remote [[Jewish]] or [[Semitic]] origin of some of them.<ref name="primogeniture">PRIMOGENITURE{{cite INweb THE OLD TESTAMENT Towards a Theological-Ethical Understanding of Patriarchy in Ancient Israel Laiu Fachhai| url=http://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10019.1/17750/Fachhai_primogeniture_2007.pdf?sequence=1 | title=Primogeniture in the Old Testament; Towards a Theological-Ethical Understanding of Patriarchy in Ancient Israel | publisher=University of Stellenbosch | date=December 2007 | accessdate=5 June 2014 | author=Fachhai, Laiu}}</ref> Although it is many timesoften saidthought that the [[Mizo people|Mizos]] employ ultimogeniture, where the youngest son inherits all, this is because the customs of [[Lushai]]s or [[Lusheis]] are confused with those of all Mizos; indeed, Mizo and Lushai have been sometimesoccasionally used as interchangeable termsinterchangeably. Among most non-Lushai Mizos, primogeniture predominates,<ref>{{cite book | title=Social, Cultural, Economic & Religious Life of a Transformed Community: A ...Study of the Paite Tribe | publisher=Mittal Publications | author=Liankhohau, T. Liankhohau|url year=http://books.google.es/books?id1994 | pages=RMEXr_jrT9cC&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=%22Paite%22+%22eldest+son%22+%22inherits%22&source=bl&ots=NVKyx7wieS&sig=C-x75buwt2pztOdIedx33uuOom8&hl=es&sa=X&ei=cExnUYymB4q2hQe9zYDoDQ&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Paite%22%20%22eldest%20son%22%20%22inherits%22&f | isbn=false9788170995203}}</ref> just as among [[Kukis]].<ref>http://dspace.nitrkl.ac.in/dspace/bitstream/2080/1772/1/</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Customary Laws of the Kukis|url=http://kukiforum.com/2010/06/customary-laws-of-the-kukis-2/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=StructureCustomary Laws of Chin-Kuki-Mizo’sthe SocialKukis Institutions|date publisher=JanuaryKuki 8,International 2006|first=Sominthang|last=Doungel|url=http://kukiforum.com/2006/01/structure-of-chin-kuki-mizos-social-institutions/}}</ref><ref>{{citeForum web|title=The Institution of Chieftainship in Kuki Society|date=AprilJune 520, 20092010 |first accessdate=George5 T.|last=Haokip|url=http://kukiforum.com/2009/04/the-institution-of-chieftainship-in-kuki-society/June 2014}}</ref> In general there is great confusion about the ethnic identity of the many northeastern [[Native Americans in the United States|IndianNative American]] tribes.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Chin-Kuki-Ethnic Dilemma: Search for an Appropriate Identity|date=April 25, 2007|first=Chawnglienthang|last=Changsan|url=http://kukiforum.com/2007/04/the-chin-kuki-ethnic-dilemma-search-for-an-appropriate-identity-2/}}</ref> Some regard the generic term [[Zomi]] as most appropriate.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}
=== Inheritance of movable property ===
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