Chapter 10 - Kinship & Descent Flashcards
kinship
A network of relatives within which individuals possess certain mutual rights and obligations
decent group
Any kin group whose members share a direct line of descent from a real (historical) or fictional common ancestor.
unilineal descent
Descent that establishes group membership exclusively through either the male or female line.
matrilineal descent
Descent traced exclusively through the female line to establish group membership.
patrilineal descent
Descent traced exclusively through the male line to establish membership
lineage
A unilineal kin-group descended from a common ancestor or founder who lived four to six generations ago, and in which relationships among members can be exactly stated in genealogical terms.
clan
An extended unilineal kin-group, often consisting of several lineages, whose members claim common descent from a remote ancestor, usually legendary or mythological.
bilateral descent
Descent that establishes group membership through both the male and female line.
fission
In kinship studies, the splitting of a descent group into two or more new descent groups.
totemism
The belief that people are related to particular animals, plants, or natural objects by virtue of descent from common ancenstral spirits.
phratry
A unilineal descent group composed of at least two clans that supposedly share a common ancestry, whether or not they really do.
moiety
Each group, usually consisting of several clans, that results from a division of a society in two halves on the basis of descent.
kindred
A grouping of blood relatives based on bilateral descent. Includes all relations with whom EGO shares at least one grandparent, great-grandparent, or even a great-great-grandparents, on his or her father’s and mother’s side.
EGO
In kinship studies, the central person from whom the degree of each relationship is traced.
Eskimo system
Kinship reckoning in which the nuclear family is emphasized by specifically identifying the mother, father, brother and sister, while lumping together all other relatives into broad categories such as uncle, aunt, and cousin, Also referred to as lineal system.
Hawaiian system
Kinship reckoning in which all relatives of the same sex and generation are referred to by the same term.
Iroquois system
Kinship reckoning in which a father and a father’s brother are referred to by a single term, as are a mother and mother’s sister, but a father;s sister and a mother’s brother are given separate terms. Parallel cousins are classified with brothers and sisters, while cross cousins are classified separately, but not equally with relatives of some other generation.
new reproductive technologies (NRT)
Alternative means of reproduction such as surrogate motherhood and in vitro fertilization.
___________________ provide an individual with a wide social network that enables one to have the support needed to function effectively within the community and meet the challenges of finding resources for survival.
decent groups
Several ethnic minorities in southwest China, such as the Mosuo, trace their decent ____________, whereas the Han Chinese follow a ______________ system.
matrilineally; patrilineal
In order for lineages to prosper, they must practice ______________ because lineages provide social structure to the group.
exogamy
______________ membership among the Micmac Indians provided a number of privileges, such as access to health, housing, and education programs.
Kinship
_____________________ is a characteristic of most contemporary post-industrialized societies as well as among foraging groups.
Bilateral kinship
Many couples have used some of the new reproductive technologies. In such cases, the parent who has not supplied any biological material is often referred to as a_______________.
fictive kin
The nuclear family is the distinct structural element within the ______________________ system.
Eskimo
The ___________ system reflects an absence of strong unilineal descent.
Hawaiian
___________________ establishes descent group membership exclusively through the male or female line.
Unilineal descent
What are the benefits of exogamy?
1) Alliances between lineages
2) Sexual competition within the group is curbed
What is a descent group?
A publicly recognized social entity whose members share a direct line of descent from a real (historical( or fictional ancestor.
What is the primary unit known in China?
tsu
When a lineage splits into new, smaller lineages, what is it called?
fission
In what kinship system is a father’s sister and father’s sister’s daughter called by the same term, a mother and mother’s sister are merged under another, and a father and father’s brother are lumped in a third?
Crow system
What ways can be used to document lineage?
1) bilateral kinship
2) kindred
3) clans
What is the belief in which people are related to a particular animal, plant or natural object by virtue of decent from a common ancestral spirit?
Totemism
What are the two fundamental forms or a descent group?
lineage and clans
Clans frequently depend on what to provide members with a means of identification?
symbols
In which kinship system are the father and father’s brother referred to by a single term, as are the mother and mother’s sister, but the father’s sister and mother’s brother are given separate terms?
Iroquois
Bilateral kinship affiliates a person with which close blood relatives?
through both sexes
The Eskimo system is most common among which societies?
industrialized societies
In most industrialized societies, formal political systems take over many issues, such as ______________, which in nonidustrialized societies are often handles by the kinship group.
allocation of resources
Because of its bilateral structure, a kindred is never the same for any two people EXCEPT____________.
siblings
What is an example of a “watered-down” North American totemism?
the Democratic Party’s Donkey
What are some terms to cover the concepts of “mother” and “father” in today’s changing societies?
1) genetic mother
2) carrying/nurturing mother
3) complete father
4) nurturing father
In non-industrialized societies, what kinds of challenges do kinship groups deal with and handle?
1) defense
2) allocation of property
3) pooling of other resources
