Kinship, Marriage, & Descent Flashcards
what is kinship
Relationship within a group that share a genealogical origin based on biological, historical or cultural decent. It is an emic (insider’s perspective) view of social rules, laws, and institutions.
3 kinship systems
Lineal, Bifurcate merging, Generational
Lineal
Descent traced through mother or father. Distinguishes between mother’s and father’s sides as well as generations (ie. mother, aunt, uncle, cousin)
Bifurcate
Distinguishes between mother’s and father’s side and generations but not non-immediate family. Merges same sex siblings of each parent (ie. mother and aunt are the same term making brother and male cousin the same term)
Generational
Uses the same terms for parents and their siblings lumping together the parental generation (mother, father, aunt, uncle) Does not distinguish between mother’s and father’s sides.
Stipulated descent
clan; can’t trace exact genealogy
Apical ancestors
For a clan this is a common ancestor that may be real or a fictionalized totem from which all the members originate from (this ancestor is known as the apex)
Cross cousin-
from a parents opposite sex sibling (ex- mother’s brother or father’s sister)
Parallel cousin-
from a parent’s same sex sibling (ex- mother’s sister or father’s brother)
Privileges of clan membership
Food: labor, consumption, distribution
Power: Deference, allegiances; strata
Ritual: involvement, roles, rites of passage
Laws: Rules, punishment
ex: bloodwealth- if a man kills another man, the first man owes the second man’s family cattle as bloodwealth
Marriage partners: residence
Inheritance: wealth
Marriage and suitable marriage partners
types of marrigaes
endogamy, exogamy
endogamy
marrige of people inside group
exogamy
marriage outside one’s group
polygamy
marriage of more than two partners
polygyny
more than wife
