Kinship Terminology Flashcards
Affinal Kin
Relatives related by marriage
Age Grade
Organized category of people based on age; every individual pass through a series of such categories in the course of a lifetime
Age Set
Groups of persons initiated into age grades at the same time and who move through a series of categories together
Ambilineal Descent
Descent in which the individual may affiliate with either the mother’s or father’s descent group
Ambilocal Residence
: A pattern in which the married couple may choose EITHER matrilocal or patrilocal residence
- Avunculocal Residence
A married couple resides with the husband’s mother’s brother
Bride Price
Compensation paid by the groom or his family to the bride’s family upon marriage
Bride Service
A designated period of time after marriage during which the groom works for the bride’s family
Caste
A special from of social class in which membership is determined by birth and remains fixed for life
Clan
A non-corporate descent group with each member claiming descent from a common ancestor without actually knowing the exact links to that ancestor
Common-Interest Associations
Associations not based on age, kinship, marriage or territory that result from the act of joining
Conjugal Bond
The bond between a man and a woman who are married
Conjugal Family
A family consisting of one [or more] man married to one [or more] women, and their offspring
Consanguine Family
: A family consisting of related women, their brothers and the offspring of the women
Consanguineal Kin
Relatives by birth; blood relatives
Descent Group
Any publicly recognized social entity such that being a lineal descendent of a particular real or mythical ancestor is a criterion of membership
Descriptive (Sudanese) system
One’s father, father’s brother, mother’s brother is distinguished by terms, mother, mother’s sister and father’s sister are distinguished by terms; cross cousins are distinguished from each other AND from siblings
Double Descent
Descent is traced matrilineally for some purposes, and patrilineally for others
Dowry
Payment of a woman’s inheritance at the time of her marriage either to her or to her husband
Egalitarian Societies
Social systems in which as many valued positions exist as there are capable persons of filling them
Endogamy
Marriage within a group or a particular category of individuals
Lineal (Eskimo) System
Emphasizes the nuclear family by specifically identifying mother, father, brother and sister, while lumping together all other relatives into broad categories such as “uncle”, “aunt” or “cousin”
Exogamy
Marriage outside of a group
Extended Family
A collection of nuclear families, related by ties of blood that live together in one household
Family
A residential kin group composed of a woman, her dependent children, and at least one adult male joined through a blood relationship
Fission
The splitting of a descent group into two or more new descent groups
Hawaiian System
Kinship reckoning in which all relatives of the same sex and generation are referred to by the same term
Household
Basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing and shelter are organized and carried out; may or may not be synonymous with family
Incest Taboo
The prohibition of sexual relations between specified individuals, usually parent/child and siblings at a minimum
Iroquois System
One’s father and father’s brother are referred to by a single term, one’s mother and mother’s sister are referred to by a single term; one’s father’s sister and one’s mother’s brother are given separate terms; parallel cousins are classified with brothers and sisters; cross cousins are classified separately, but not equated with relatives of another generation.
Kindred
A group of consanguineal kin linked by heir relationship to one living individual; includes both maternal and paternal kin
Levirate
A marriage custom according to which a widow marries a brother of her dead husband
Lineage
A corporate descent group whose members trace their genealogical links to a common ancestor
Marriage
A transaction and resulting contract in which a man and a woman are recognized by a society as having a claim to the right of sexual access to one another and in which the woman is eligible to bear children
Matrilateral Cross Cousin Marriage
Marriage of a woman to her father’s sister’s son, or a man to his Mother’s brother’s daughter. [His cross cousin on the maternal side, her cross cousin on the paternal side]
Matrilineal Descent
Descent is traced exclusively through the female line for purposes of group membership
Matrilocal
A married couple lives in the locality associated with the wife’s relatives
Mobility
The ability to change one’s class position
Moiety
Each group that results from a division of a society into two halves on the basis of descent
Monogamy
Marriage in which an individual has a single spouse
Natolocal
Everyone stays “home” ; as per the Nayar
Neolocal Residence
A pattern in which a married couple may establish their household in a location apart of either their patri or matri relatives
Nuclear family
A family unit consisting of husband, wide, and dependent children
Open Class Societies
Stratified societies that permit a great deal of social mobility
Patrilateral Parallel Cousin Marriage
Marriage of a man to his father’s brother’s daughter, or a woman to her father’s brother’s son. [to a parallel cousin on the paternal side].
Patrilineal Descent
Descent is traced exclusively through the male line for purposes of group membership
Patrilocal Residence
A residence pattern in which a married couple lies in the locality associated with the husband’s father’s relatives
Phratry
Unilineal descent group composed of two more clans that claim to be of common ancestry. If there are only two such groups, each is a MOIETY
Polyandry
The marriage custom of a woman having several husbands at one time; a form of polygamy
Polygamy
Multiple spouses
Polygyny
The marriage custom of a man having several wives at the same time: a form of polygamy
Serial Monogamy
A marriage form in which a man or woman marries a series of partners in succession
Social Class
A set of families that enjoy equal or nearly equal prestige according to the system of evaluation
Sororate
A marriage custom according to which a widower marries a sister of his dead wife.
Stratified Society
Division of society into two or more categories of people who do not share equally in the basic resources that support life, influence and prestige
Symbolic Indicators
In a stratified society, activities and possessions that are indicative of social class
Totemism
People are related to a particular animals, plants or natural objects by virtue of descent from common ancestral spirits
Unilineal Descent
Descent that establishes group membership either through the male or female line
Verbal evaluation
The way in which people in a stratified society evaluate members of their own society
Crow System
Usually associated with matrilineal descent: father’s sister and father’s sister’s daughter are called by the same term; mother and mother’s sister are merged under a term; father and father’s brother are merged under a term. Parallel cousins are merged with brothers and sisters
Omaha System
Patrilineal equivalent of the Crown; the line of mother’s patrilineal kin is equated across generations
