Both the Apache and Navajo nations are Athabaskan speakers, and both are matriarchal societies. That wasn't uncommon for many of the native American tribes across North America. Men might rule in martial pursuits and the hunt, but women ruled the wikiup. Women's lives were harsh and hard, but their opinions and power couldn't be wholly ignored by the tribe. When an Apache marries, he moves into his wife's village and his mother-in-law's must be provided for and her wishes followed.
In the Jewish faith, one's lineage is also traced back through the mother's line rather than the paternal. Gender roles, responsibilities, and expectations often mitigate against the extremes of Parochial/Matriarchal systems. Muslim women, I understand, are virtual slaves of the men, but within the family and household, it is they who rule ... in a gentle way, of course.
