Kinship and Descent Flashcards

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Questions and Answers

What is a kindred?

Individual traces descent through both parent and grandparents on both sides.

Why do some food foragers and industrialized societies have kindreds?

It is essential to know the family's line through both sides.

What is bilateral kinship?

Person tries their ancestry through both parents.

What are consanguineal kin?

Connection with family through blood relations. Signup and view all the answers

What are the four types of descent groups?

Lineage, Clan, Phratry, Moiety. Signup and view all the answers

What is a lineage?

A corporate group of consanguineal kin that claims common ancestry. Signup and view all the answers

Marriages can occur within a lineage.

False Signup and view all the answers

What is unilineal descent?

Descent is only traced through one gender. Signup and view all the answers

What is a patrilineage?

A lineage that traces ancestry through the father's side of the family. Signup and view all the answers

Which members are included in a patrilineage? (Select all that apply)

Ego's father's brother's children Signup and view all the answers

Which members are excluded from a patrilineage? (Select all that apply)

Ego's mother Signup and view all the answers

What subsistence strategies are associated with patrilineal descent?

Intensive agriculture and pastoralism. Signup and view all the answers

What is a matrilineage?

Tracing ancestry through the mother's side of the family only. Signup and view all the answers

Which subsistence strategy is associated with matrilineal descent?

Horticulture Signup and view all the answers

Matrilineal descent means that a society is matriarchal.

False Signup and view all the answers

What is a clan?

A group of lineages that claims common ancestry. Signup and view all the answers

What is a phratry?

Clans that are clumped together and claim common ancestry. Signup and view all the answers

What is a moiety?

A group of phratries that claims ancestry. Signup and view all the answers

How does New Reproductive Technology relate to kinship and descent?

It raises questions about the definitions of motherhood and fatherhood. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Kindred and Bilateral Kinship

Kindred involves tracing descent through both maternal and paternal lines.
Both food foragers and industrialized societies utilize kindreds for understanding family lineage from both sides.
Bilateral kinship recognizes ancestry from both parents, maintaining equal importance in emotional and wealth-related ties.
Consanguineal kin refers to family connections established through marriage.

Types of Descent Groups

Four major types of descent groups: Lineage, Clan, Phatry, Moiety.

Lineage Characteristics

Lineage is a corporate group of consanguineal kin with a common ancestry established through genealogical links.
Functioning as an economic unit, lineages prohibit marriages within to avoid relations.
Unilineal descent traces ancestry through one gender only.

Patrilineage Insights

Patrilineage traces ancestry exclusively through the father's side of the family.
Included members: Ego, Ego's father, siblings, father’s siblings, and their children.
Excluded members: Ego’s mother and her lineage, as well as father's sister's children.
Associated subsistence strategies include intensive agriculture and pastoralism, with a patrilocal residence pattern.
Patriarchal societies are characterized by male dominance in economic and political roles; the U.S. exemplifies this structure.
The Traditional Han in China is an example of a patrilineal society, providing economic assistance through patrilineage.

Matrilineage Characteristics

Matrilineage traces ancestry through the mother’s side.
Included members: Ego, Ego's mother, siblings, mother's siblings, and their children.
Excluded members: Ego’s father and his lineage, as well as mother’s brother's children.
Associated with horticultural subsistence strategies and matrilocal residence.
Societies with this lineage structure do not inherently mean they are matriarchal.
Examples include the Hopi in Northeastern Arizona and the Mosuo in Southwestern China.
The Mosuo practice consanguineal family structures with inheritance passed down the maternal line.
Economic decisions are made by females, while males handle political decisions in both Mosuo and Hopi societies.

A clan consists of multiple lineages claiming a common ancestry, either real or fictive.
Clan members do not need to be biologically related, functioning like Western symbols such as colleges and sports teams.
Functions of clans include promoting solidarity, regulating marriages (exogamous), and fulfilling ceremonial and political roles.

Phratry and Moiety

Phratry is a collective of clans that may have common ancestry, but genealogical links may not be assured.
Moiety represents groups of phratries claiming ancestry.
Both phrases facilitate institutionalized reciprocity, establishing numerous relationships.
Canela of South America organizes their settlement patterns around descent groups, with clans divided into moieties.

Kinship Terms and Relations

Kinship terminology often overlaps, with multiple relatives sharing the same designation due to relational similarities.
Adopted individuals count as related kin, emphasizing the relational aspect beyond biological connections.

Eskimo Kinship System

In this system, consanguineal kin are identified using specific kinship terms; certain relatives are bifurcated while others are merged.
Eskimo kinship systems are seen in societies where kinship terms reflect nuclear family ties.

Hawaiian Kinship System

Consanguineal kin are recognized through generational terms, indicative of parent and child relationships.
The Hawaiian system is termed generational due to its focus on sibling and cousin relations across generations.

Iroquois Kinship System

The Iroquois system shares similarities with the Hawaiian system regarding kinship terms.
Distinctions occur between mother's brother's children (referred to as parallel cousins) and father's sister's children (cross cousins).
Kinship terms differ due to variations in familial relationships, highlighting cultural nuances in kinship classifications.

New Reproductive Technology and Kinship

New reproductive technologies intersect with kinship and descent, complicating traditional definitions of parenthood.
In scenarios where donor gametes are used, cultural perceptions determine maternal and paternal identities.
Kinship is seen as a socially constructed status, guided by cultural definitions of relationships and familial ties.

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Description

Explore the concepts of kindreds, bilateral kinship, and consanguineal kin through these flashcards. Understand how these terms apply to food foragers and industrialized societies. Enhance your knowledge of family lineage and descent patterns.