Great Houses of Malema

The Great Houses of Malema are the only ruling bodies of the Malema. While technically sovereign, the houses are bound by rules of conduct that serve to unite them through culture and tradition.
Every individual in Malema society is associated with a Great House. Legitimate and legitimized family members are entitled to the style "of (House)" and are the only individuals with political power. Non-family members are associated with the houses through work, slavery, or other arrangements.
Family members of the Houses are only allowed to marry within the House system and only to those who are also family members of a Great House. Marriages between members of the Houses can help solidify or create alliances but there are never personal unions as the lower-ranking spouse is taken into the House of the higher ranking spouse even though they retain the "of (House)" styling of the House of their birth.
Rarely the head of a Great House will adopt an individual who is not a family member, usually because of great service or personal affection. These adoptions only serve to elevate the person to a position as a child of the head of the Great House and cannot be used to elevate the person to another position. In some cases the adoption serves to elevate not only the individual but also the issue of that individual. Those adopted this way are entitled to the styling "of (House) by writ," easily signalling to those unfamiliar with that particular arrangement that the individual has been elevated from a common position. Issue of an individual of (House) by writ are allowed to take the family styling "of (House)" provided that they were born after the elevation. Any issue born before the elevation are only entitled to the styling "by writ," signalling that the individual is entitled to the protections afforded to House family members but are not eligible for marriage into the Great Houses, are generally not permitted to take advantage of any negotiated alliance benefits, and the title is not heritable by their heirs.
Another type of elevation serves only to elevate that individual and is not heritable. These individuals are entitled to the styling "of (House) by will." In this case, issue born before the elevation are entitled to no special styling and are not entitled to the protections of nobility. For issue born after the elevation are entitiled to the styling "by will," signifying that they are entitled to the protections of nobility and nothing else. This styling is not heritable and is the lowest status that allows noble protections and freedom of movement.

Type

Geopolitical, Great house