Chapter 10 - Kinship & Descent

Question 1

kinship

Answer 1

A network of relatives within which individuals possess certain mutual rights and obligations

Question 2

decent group

Answer 2

Any kin group whose members share a direct line of descent from a real (historical) or fictional common ancestor.

Question 3

unilineal descent

Answer 3

Descent that establishes group membership exclusively through either the male or female line.

Question 4

matrilineal descent

Answer 4

Descent traced exclusively through the female line to establish group membership.

Question 5

patrilineal descent

Answer 5

Descent traced exclusively through the male line to establish membership

Question 6

lineage

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

clan

Answer 7

An extended unilineal kin-group, often consisting of several lineages, whose members claim common descent from a remote ancestor, usually legendary or mythological.

Question 8

bilateral descent

Answer 8

Descent that establishes group membership through both the male and female line.

Question 9

fission

Answer 9

In kinship studies, the splitting of a descent group into two or more new descent groups.

Question 10

totemism

Answer 10

The belief that people are related to particular animals, plants, or natural objects by virtue of descent from common ancenstral spirits.

Question 11

phratry

Answer 11

A unilineal descent group composed of at least two clans that supposedly share a common ancestry, whether or not they really do.

Question 12

moiety

Answer 12

Each group, usually consisting of several clans, that results from a division of a society in two halves on the basis of descent.

Question 13

kindred

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

EGO

Answer 14

In kinship studies, the central person from whom the degree of each relationship is traced.

Question 15

Eskimo system

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

Hawaiian system

Answer 16

Kinship reckoning in which all relatives of the same sex and generation are referred to by the same term.

Question 17

Iroquois system

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

new reproductive technologies (NRT)

Answer 18

Alternative means of reproduction such as surrogate motherhood and in vitro fertilization.

Question 19

___________________ 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.

Answer 19

decent groups

Question 20

Several ethnic minorities in southwest China, such as the Mosuo, trace their decent ____________, whereas the Han Chinese follow a ______________ system.

Answer 20

matrilineally; patrilineal

Question 21

In order for lineages to prosper, they must practice ______________ because lineages provide social structure to the group.

Answer 21

exogamy

Question 22

______________ membership among the Micmac Indians provided a number of privileges, such as access to health, housing, and education programs.

Answer 22

Kinship

Question 23

_____________________ is a characteristic of most contemporary post-industrialized societies as well as among foraging groups.

Answer 23

Bilateral kinship

Question 24

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_______________.

Answer 24

fictive kin

Question 25

The nuclear family is the distinct structural element within the ______________________ system.

Answer 25

Eskimo

Question 26

The ___________ system reflects an absence of strong unilineal descent.

Answer 26

Hawaiian

Question 27

___________________ establishes descent group membership exclusively through the male or female line.

Answer 27

Unilineal descent

Question 28

What are the benefits of exogamy?

Answer 28

1) Alliances between lineages

2) Sexual competition within the group is curbed

Question 29

What is a descent group?

Answer 29

A publicly recognized social entity whose members share a direct line of descent from a real (historical( or fictional ancestor.

Question 30

What is the primary unit known in China?

Answer 30

tsu

Question 31

When a lineage splits into new, smaller lineages, what is it called?

Answer 31

fission

Question 32

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?

Answer 32

Crow system

Question 33

What ways can be used to document lineage?

Answer 33

1) bilateral kinship
2) kindred
3) clans

Question 34

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?

Answer 34

Totemism

Question 35

What are the two fundamental forms or a descent group?

Answer 35

lineage and clans

Question 36

Clans frequently depend on what to provide members with a means of identification?

Answer 36

symbols

Question 37

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?

Answer 37

Iroquois

Question 38

Bilateral kinship affiliates a person with which close blood relatives?

Answer 38

through both sexes

Question 39

The Eskimo system is most common among which societies?

Answer 39

industrialized societies

Question 40

In most industrialized societies, formal political systems take over many issues, such as ______________, which in nonidustrialized societies are often handles by the kinship group.

Answer 40

allocation of resources

Question 41

Because of its bilateral structure, a kindred is never the same for any two people EXCEPT____________.

Answer 41

siblings

Question 42

What is an example of a “watered-down” North American totemism?

Answer 42

the Democratic Party’s Donkey

Question 43

What are some terms to cover the concepts of “mother” and “father” in today’s changing societies?

Answer 43

1) genetic mother
2) carrying/nurturing mother
3) complete father
4) nurturing father

Question 44

In non-industrialized societies, what kinds of challenges do kinship groups deal with and handle?

Answer 44

1) defense
2) allocation of property
3) pooling of other resources