Ch. 11 ~ Marital Residence & Kinship

~ Avunclocal Res // Residence Variation

(Recap: put matrilineally-related males together) > May be favored by internal warfare when the society is matrilineal

Percentages of Each Residence Pattern

67% - Patrilocal 15% - Matrilocal 07% - Bilocal 04% - Avunculocal 05% - Neolocal

*Kindred

> A bilateral set of close relatives who may be called upon for some purpose - Usually not a clearly defined group - Aside from brothers and sisters, no two people belong to exactly the same kin group - People in a kindred have in common only the focal person who brings them together

*Unilocal Residence

> A pattern of residence (patrilocal, matrilocal, or avunculocal) that specifies just one set of relatives that the married couple live with or near

*Bilocal Residence

> A pattern of residence in which a married couple lives with or near either the husband's parents or the wife's parents >>Either the son or daughter may leave, but the son and his wife settle w/ or near either the wife's or the husband's parents - 7%

*Patrilocal Residence

> A pattern of residence in which a married couple lives with or near the husband's parents >> Usually, sons stay and daughters leave, so that a married couple lives with or near the husband's parents - 67%

*Matrilocal Residence

> A pattern of residence in which a married couple lives with or near the wife's parents >>Daughters stay and sons leave, so that a married couple lives with or near wife's parents - 15%

*Avunculocal Residence

> A pattern of residence in which a married couple settles with or near the husband's mother's brother >>Both son and daughter normally leave, but the son and his wife settle with or near the mother's brother - 4%

*Neolocal Residence

> A pattern of residence whereby a married couple lives separately, and usually at some distance, from the kin of both spouses >> Usually, both sons and daughters leave; married couples live apart from the relatives of both spouses - 5%

*Unilineal Descent

> Affiliation w/ a group of kin through descent links of one sex only - Can be either patrilineal or matrilineal

~Religious Functions

> Clan or lineage may have own religious beliefs and practices, worshiping it's own gods or goddesses and ancestral spirits - ex. Tallensi only believe in their own ancestral spirits

Ambilineal Systems

> Descent affiliates individuals with kin related to them through either men or women - Far less numerous - Belief in descent from common ancestor w/o ability to specify all geneological links - Commonly named & has identifying emblem or totem - May own land or other productive resources - Myths and religious practices ass. w/ the group - Marriage regulated - Various levels or types of descent groups >>>>> Resemble unilineal societies <<<<

~Political Functions

> Headman or elders of a lineage or clan might have vague powers to assign land for use by a lineage or clan member -- Also have right to settle disputes between two members; generally lack power to force a settlement -- May act as intermediaries in disputes between members of their own clan and member of opposing kin group > WAR - in societies w/o towns or cities, the organization of such fighting is often in the hands of the descent group

~Regulating Marriage

> Individuals not permitted to marry within own descent groups > Marriage may be permitted within more inclusive kin groups, but prohibited within smaller kin groups > In few societies, marriage within kin group actually preferred > Incest taboo in uni societies extended to all presumed uni relatives

Major Systems of Kinship Terminology !!

> Inuit (Eskimo) System > Omaha System > Crow System > Iroquois System > Sudanese System > Hawaiian System

HAWAIIAN /kinship terminology systems/

> Least complex > Uses the smallest number of terms > All relatives of the same sex in the same generation are referred to by the same term

IROQUOIS /kinship terminology systems/

> Like Omaha & Crow, but differently refer to cousins of own generation differently > Theory: this system emerges in societies that prefer marriage with both cross-cousins, who are differentiated from other relatives in Iroquois system

~Economic Functions

> Members of a person's lineage or clan often required to: -- Side w/ that person in any quarrel or lawsuit -- To help him or her get established economically -- To contribute to a bride price or fine -- To support the person in life crises > Mutual aid often extend to econ cooperation on regular basis - Can also assist in helpful economic activities, work, ceremonies > Sometimes views money earned as belonging to all > Young'uns won't part w/ their cash tho, its theirs, they earned it, it's theirs

Emergence of Unilineal Systems

> Most common in societies in the middle range of cultural complexity > Often have important functions in the social, economic, political, and religious realms of life *- Probably necessary for the development of unilineal descent but does not predict unilineal societies - Evidence that unilocal societies that engage in warfare more apt to have uni descent than those w/o

INUIT (ESKIMO) /kinship terminology systems/

> Not generally found where there are uni or ambilineal descent groups > The only kin group that appears to be present is the *bilateral kindred*, so the same terms are used for both sides of the family FEATURES: - all cousins lumped together under the same term but distinguished from brothers and sisters - all aunts lumped together under same term but distinguished from mother - all uncles lumped together but distinguished from father

Kinship Terminology

> Societies tend to refer to a number of different kin by the same /classificatory term/ -> See:: Cosanguineal Kin, Affinal Kin - Terminology used may reflect its prevailing kind of family, rule of residence, rule of descent, and other aspect of social org

Explaining Ambilineal and Bilateral Systems

> Some societies w/ uni descent groups may be transformed into /ambilineal/ ones under special conditions, such as depopulation > Conditions that favor /bilateral/ systems are in large part opposite of those favoring uni descent - In complex political systems, standing armies provide the fighting force, so mobilization of kin is less important. Neolocal res, more common w/ commercialization, also works against uni descent and makes bilateral system more likely

*Ambilineal Descent

> The rule of descent that affiliates individuals with of kin related to them through men or women - Any combination of lineal links is possible in an ambilineal descent group

*Bilateral Kinship

> The type of kinship system in which individual affiliate more or less equally with their mother's and father's relatives - "two-sided" - Equal in importance and UNimportance - Kinship reckoning does not refer to common descent but rather is horizontal, moving outward from close to more distant relatives rather than upward to common ancestors

SUDANESE /kinship terminology systems/

> Uses a different term for /each/ relative > Associated with relatively great political complexity, class stratification, and occupational specialization and may reflect the need to make fine distinctions among members of descent groups

~ Neolocal Residence // Residence Variation

>> Related to presence of commercial economy [money] ((perhaps bc when people can sell labor or products, they can buy what they need to live w/o depending on kin.)) - Doesn't explain /why/ kin choose to live apart from kin

*Siblings

A person's brothers & sisters

Totem

A plant or animal associated with a clan (sib) as a mean of group identification; may have other special significance for the group

*Double Descent or Double Unilineal Descent

A system that affiliates individuals with a group of matrilineal kin for some purposes and with a group of patrilineal kin for other purposes

*Descriptive Term

A unique term used for a distinct relative

/Matriclans/

Clans with matrilineal descent

/Patriclans/

Clans with patrilineal descent

*Ego

In the reckoning of kinship, the reference point or focal person

*Classificatory Terms

Kinship terms that merge or equate relatives who are genealogically distinct from one another; the same term is used for a number of different kin

*Consanguineal Kin

One's biological relatives; relatives by birth (blood kin)

*Affinal Kin

One's relatives by marriage (in-laws)

Diff in Matrilineal & Matrilocal Societies

- Women tend to control property - Women tend to have more domestic authority - Have more equal sexual restrictions - Women more valued - Patrilocality and Patrilineality are very likely to detract from a woman's status

Functions of Unilineal Descent Groups:

-- Regulating Marriage -- Economic Functions -- Political Functions -- Religious Functions

*warfare

The attempt to resolve disputes within and outside the society by violent action

Feature Shared by Omaha, Crow, Iroquois, & Sudanese Systems

The terms used for the mother's and father's side of the family are not the same

*Patrilineal Descent

UNILINEAL > The rule of descent that affiliates individuals with kin of both sexes related to them *through men only* - More common than matrilineal - Children in each generation belong to the kin group of their father, their father to his father, and so on. - Although a man's sons and daughters are all members of the same descent group, affiliation with the group is transmitted only by the sons to their children

*Matrilineal Descent

UNILINEAL > The rule of descent that affiliates individuals with kin of both sexes relates to them *through women ony* - In each generation, children belong to kin group of their mother - A woman's sons and daughters are all members of the same descent group, but only her daughters can pass on their descent affiliation to their kids

CROW /kinship terminology systems/

[ MATRILINEAL ] > Associated with uni descent > Terms differ on each side of family and are lumped across generations on the less important side of the family - Likely to occur in a developed as opposed to a developing or decaying society FEATURES: - Mirror of Omaha system, but matrilineal instead

OMAHA /kinship terminology systems/

[ PATRILINEAL ] > Associated with uni descent (patrilineal) > Terms differ on each side of family and are lumped across generations on the less important side of the family - Likely to occur in a developed as opposed to a developing or decaying society FEATURES: - Father lumped w/ father's brother - Mother lumped w/ mother's sister - All male members of mom's lineage of any generation referred to by one term - lump of parallel cousins w/ siblings

*Rules of Descent

Rules that connect individuals with particular sets of kin because of known or presumed common ancestry - By the particular rule operating in their society, individuals can know more or less immediately which set of kin to turn to for support and help

Sib

see *clan*

Types of Affiliation w/ Kin

- Unilineal Descent - Ambilineal Descent - Bilateral Kinship

Moieties (4)

*either of a society's two unilineal groups* > A unilineal descent group in a society that is divided into two such maximal groups; there may be smaller unilineal descent groups as well - cannot specify how they are related

Lineages (1)

*kin of a definite descent from an ancestor* > A set of kin whose members trace from descent from a common ancestor through known links - may be patrilineages or matrilineages

Clans (2)

*kin of believed descent from an ancestor* > A set of kin whose members believe themselves to be descended from a common ancestor but cannot specify the links back to that founder - Often designated by a totem - Also called a /sib/

Phratries (3)

*unilineal groups of supposedly related clans* > unilineal descent group composed of a number of supposedly related clans (sibs) - descent links are unspecified

~ Matrilocal vs. Patrilocal // Residence Variation

- Although traditionally assumed, evidence does NOT support idea that, in societies in which married children live with or near kin, the pattern of residence will tend to be patrilocal if males contribute more to economy; matrilocal if women contribute more!! WAR: --Patri-- where warfare is at least sometimes internal; people prob wanna keep their sons home to ward off attacks from neighboring communities --Matri-- warfare purely external, esp. if women contribute substantially to subsistence MATRI: - Frequent absence of men due to long-distance trade or wage labor in distant places may also provide an impetus for matri res

Matrilineal Systems

- Descent affiliation is through females - Females do not usually exercise authority in many spheres of life - Reason for diff between m/f unclear

Patrilineal Systems Organizatio

- Descent affiliation through males - Males tend to exercise authority - Reason for diff between m/f unclear

Variations in Unilineal Descent Systems:

- Lineages - Clans - Phratries - Moieties - Combinations

Combination Groups (5)

- Many unilineal societies have two or more types of descent group in various combos - Even if societies have more than one type of unilineal kin group, there is no ambiguity about membership - Small units are simply subsets of larger units, the larger units include people who say they are unilineally related further back in time

Explaining Variation in Residence

- Neolocal res - Matrilocal vs. Patrilocal - Bilocal res - Avunclocal res

Patterns of Marital Residence

- Patrilocal - Matrilocal - Bilocal - Avunculocal - Neolocal

~ Biolocal Res // Residence Variation

- Theory and research suggest this may occur out of necessity in societies that have recently suffered a severe and drastic loss of population resulting from the intro of new infectious diseases and in small hunter-gatherer societies with unpredictable rainfall -- Best chance to survive w/ relatives