Kinship & Family

Unit Learning Objectives

• Differentiate between nuclear & extended families.• Distinguish between family orientation & family

procreation. • Define and differentiate between kinds of descent

groups and postmartial residence rules. • Differentiate between lineages an clans• Differentiate between genealogical kin types and kin

terms. • Demonstrate your understanding of kinship diagrams

through an activity.

Kinship (a.k.a) ‘Basic Building Block of Society’

• Basic principle of organizing individuals into ______________________________

• Considerable _______________________

Terms of Unit• Descent Group

• Group based on belief in _______________• ______________________• Members – ______________________

• Extended Family Household• Household with _______________

Terms of Unit• Matrilineal

• Form of descent in which individuals trace their ____________________________________

• Patrilineal• Form of descent in which individuals trace

their ____________________________________• Most common form

Matrilineal Descent

Patrilineal Descent

Differences Between Patrilineal and Matrilineal

Descent GroupsPatrilineal Matrilineal

______

Give birth to husband’s

descendants; play minimal role in their own group

Play a central role in their own group by bearing their own

descendants

______ Strong authorityWeak in marital

household; strong in household of his sister

Differences Between Patrilineal and Matrilineal

Descent GroupsPatrilineal Matrilineal

______ High status Relatively low status

______

Characterized by deference,

strong authority and formality

Relatively weak authority and general

informality

Differences Between Patrilineal and Matrilineal

Descent GroupsPatrilineal Matrilineal

______ Strong Relatively weak

______ Typically patrilocal Typically matrilocal

Terms of Unit• Family of Orientation

• __________________________• Family of Procreation

• ______________________________

Nuclear Family – widespread BUT NOT universal

Muslims of Western Bosnia

• Nuclear families lack _______________• Several families in an ______________, or zadruga.• Each zadruga is headed by a

_____________________• Zadrugas are __________________

• Each nuclear family has its own sleeping room• All material possessions shared among all

members

Nayar of Southwest India

• Large, extended matrilineal families that live in matrilineal compounds, or tarawads.• Each tarawad is headed up by a

_________________• Marriage a ______________

• Men return to their mother’s tarawad a few days after marriage

• Nayar women frequently have __________________• _________________________________________

Descent GroupsGeneral features:

• Exogamous• ___________________________

• Unilineal descent• Tracing descent through a ________

•_________ OR ___________

Lineages & Clans• Lineage:

• Unilineal descent group based on ______________

• Clans:• Unilineal descent

group based on _______________

Common Theme in both:

_____________

Ancestor – Why?

• Social unity & identity of the members• _________________________

• Apical ancestor in both lineages & clans• Apex of _________________• Clan ancestors are commonly non-

human ______

Betsileo of Madagascar

• 1.• 2.

Descent Groups & Postmarital Residence Patterns

• ________________________________

• Why study? Gives rise to various ____________

• Cross-cultural research results: 6 common patterns

Common Forms• Patrilocal – ___________________________

• ~70% of all societies – predominant pattern

• Matrilocal – _________________________• ~13% of all societies – predominant

pattern

Common Forms• Ambilocal – __________________• Bilocal – __________________• Neolocal – __________________• Avunculocal –

__________________Account for ~17% of all societies