Key Notes on Kinship, Marriage and Family

KINSHIP

Kingroup 1. Kin: In common usage, people having ‘common blood relation’ and having a ‘common ancestry are known as kins. 2. Kindred: The body of a persons who are genealogically linked to the man who might have been the source of this relationship. 3. Collateral Kin: Kins which get separated from the main group as a branch such as uncles and cousins are called Collateral Kin. Simply descents of lineal kins are called collateral kin. 4. Lineal Kin: Kins which are directly related in succession are called lineal kin. Lineal kins are direct ancestors and direct descendents of a person, like parents, grandparents, great grand parents and their children and grand children etc.

Kinship Terminology 1. 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. 2. Consanguineal kin: One’s biological relatives; relatives by birth. 3. Affinal kin: One’s relatives by marriage. 4. Siblings: A person’s brothers and sisters. 5. Descriptive term: A unique term used for a distinct relative.

Patterns of Marital Residence 1. Neolocal residence: A pattern of residence whereby a married couple lives separately, and usually at some distance, from the kin of both spouses. 2. Patrilocal residence: A pattern of residence in which a married couple lives with or near the husband’s parents. 3. Matrilocal residence: A pattern of residence in which a married couple lives with or near the wife’s parents. 4. 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 5. Avunculocal residence: A pattern of residence in which a married couple settles with or near the hus- band’s mother’s brother. 6. Unilocal residence or nonoptional: A pattern of residence (patrilocal, matrilocal, or avunculocal) that specifies just one set of relatives that the married couple lives with or near.

The Structure of Kinship 1. Rules of descent: Rules that connect individuals with particular sets of kin because of known or presumed common ancestry. 2. Unilineal descent: Affiliation with a group of kin through descent links of one sex only. 3. Patrilineal descent: The rule of descent that affiliates individuals with kin of both sexes related to them through men only. 4. Matrilineal descent: The rule of descent that affiliates individuals with kin of both sexes related to them through women only. 5. Ambilineal descent: The rule of descent that affiliates individuals with groups of kin related to them through men or women. 6. 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. 7. Bilateral kinship: The type of kinship system in which individuals affiliate more or less equally with their mother’s and father’s relatives. 8. Kindred: A bilateral set of close relatives who may be called upon for some purpose. 9. Ego: In the reckoning of kinship, the reference point or focal person. (The word ego is used by anthropologists to denote the “I” from whose point of view kinship relations are being reckoned.)

Name of Pattern : Place where married couple resides

Neolocality : Apart from either husband’s or wife’s kin

Bilocality : Alternately shifting from husband’s kin to wife’s kin

Ambilocality : Some couples with husband’s kin, others with wife’s kin

Patrilocality : With husband’s father

Matrilocality : With wife’s mother

Avunculocality : With husband’s mother’s brother

Amitalocality : With wife’s father’s sister

Uxorilocality : With the wife’s kin

Virilocality : with the husband’s kin

Variation in Unilineal Descent Systems 1. Lineage: A set of kin whose members trace descent from a common ancestor through known links. 2. Clan: A set of kin whose members believe themselves to be descended from a common ancestor or ancestress but cannot specify the links back to that founder; often designated by a totem. Also called a sib. 3. Totem: A plant or animal associated with a clan (sib) as a means of group identification; may have other special significance for the group. 4. Phratry: A unilineal descent group composed of a number of supposedly related clans (sibs). 5. Moiety: A unilineal descent group in a society that is divided into two such maximal groups; there may be smaller unilineal descent groups as well.

References Ember, C., Ember, M., & Peregrine, P. (2015). Anthropology. Pearson. (pp. 447-452)

Family On the Basis of Numbers  (a) Nuclear Family: In its most common usage, the term nuclear family (or elementary family) refers to a household consisting of a father, a mother and their children all in one household.  (b) Joint Family: Joint family means two or more elementary families joined together. (c) Extended Family: This contains all blood related and some other relatives. It can be one sided or two sided (Motherly/Fatherly). There are many in such families. Their residence and work are the same, they respect the head of the family.  On the Basis of Residence (a) Patrilocal Family: If a wife lives with husband and his parents they are called a patrilocal family. This tradition runs in Hindus, Muslims, Bheel and Khadiya.  (b) Matrilocal Family: Opposite to this, when a husband lives with wife and her parents at their place, they are called matrilocal family. In India, this kind of family is found in Malabar’s Nayyer, Khasi and Garo tribe.  (c) Neolocal Family: After marriage husband and wife live neither with his/her parents but build their own home, they are called neolocal families.  (d) Biolocal Family: After marriage a couple live with either father or mother or any. These are called motherly or fatherly-resident families.  (e) Avunculocal Family: After marriage, a couple lives with his (husband’s) maternal uncle. This is the custom in Trobriand Island. In India, motherly dominated families have such traditions.  (f) Dualocal Family: Some families are such, where after marriage man/wife live with their own (paternal) families. In Lakshadweep, Kerala and in “ashanti” tribes you can find such families. At night, the husband spent his night in wife’s mother’s house but came back in the daytime. On the Basis of Authority  (a) Patriarchal Families: In these families the authority remains in the hands of father and men. They regulate the family.  (b) Matriarchal Families: In these types of families, the authority vests in the mother or women and they regulate the family, just opposite to Patriarchy. Sometimes a man can do this on her behalf. At some places these rights are actual while at other places they are just formalities. This type of families are found in Nayyar, Garo, Khasi tribes in India. On the Basis of Succession  (a) Patrilateral Family: In these families rules of succession are determined on the basis of the father’s side.  (b) Matrilateral Family: In these families rules of succession are determined on the basis of the mother side. On the basis of Lineage Families  (a) Patrilineal Family: In these types of families lineage and progeny go on the name of father. Sons get lineage from their father. Hindu family based on Patrilineal family.  (b) Matrilateral Families: In these types of families lineage goes on the name of mother and daughters get lineage from their mother. This system is found in Nayyar of Malabar.  (c) Common Family Clanage: In some families clanage name does not depend on lineage but depends on all the close relations equally. In this type of society both maternal and paternal family clanage runs simultaneously. In common families a person is equally related to paternal and maternal grandparents.  (d) Two Surname Family: In this family a person is related to his paternal and grandparents, this is a kind of common family system. On the Basis of Marriage System  (a) Monogamous Family: One marriage family formed by one man and one woman. In this, man, wife and their unmarried children live. In a monogamous family at one time, a man can get married to one woman, but after the death of the man, the wife can marry again and after the death of the wife, the husband can marry again.  (b) Polygynous Family: In these families, multiple life partners are allowed at a time.  (i) Polygynous Family/Wife: One man is allowed to marry more than one partner at a time. Such families can be found in India in Muslims, Naga, Bega and Gond tribes. They have such traditions. (ii) Polyandrous Family/Husband: When a woman marries more than one man. Such families are called polyandrous families. It has two parts–When all brothers of a family marry a woman, it is called the Addelphic polyandrous family. Secondly, when husbands are not “brothers only” but can be other relations, they are called Non-adelphic polyandrous families. (iii) Punaluam Family: When some brothers or many men marry a group of ladies and all men are commonly husbands to them, that family is called punaluam.

Some Other Forms of Family  (a) Family of Origin or Orientation: A family where a person takes birth and gets brought up is called family of origin. The family has a person’s parents and unmarried brothers and sisters.  (b) Family of Procreation: A man forms the family oneself after marriage, it has a man, wife and their unmarried children.  (c) Consanguine Family: Linton says, “there are two types of families–Consanguine family and marriage-related family. In a consanguine family all the family members are blood related and not marriage related.”  For example, in the Nayyar family, which is a Matriarchy, the husband rarely stays in his wife’s house. Often the women’s kins stay there.  (d) Affinal Family: Blood relatives and affinal/marital relatives both stay together, but the main focus is on maintaining affinal/relatives.  (e) Rural Family: Rural families are influenced by rural environment and factors. The importance of agriculture and dependence on nature are the basic characteristics of rural society that also influence rural families. The smallest form of a rural family consists of husband-wife and children. There are different forms of families that have emerged with the development of society. (f) Urban Family: Urban families are different from rural families in form and functions. Nuclear families, consisting of husband-wife and minor children, emerged due to industrial capitalism.

1. Bride price: A substantial transfer of goods or money from the groom’s kin to the bride’s kin before, during, or after the marriage.  2. Bride service: Before or after the marriage, the groom gives work services to the bride’s family.  3. Cross-cousins: The children of siblings of the opposite gender (i.e., the children of a woman and her brother are cross-cousins to each other).  4. Dowry: A substantial transfer of goods or money from the bride’s family to the bride, the groom, or to the couple.  5. Endogamy: The rule that requires marriage to a person within one’s own group (kin, caste, community).  6. Extended family: Two families that are connected by at least one blood tie that forms a single social and/or economic unit. Extended families often include people from 3 or 4 generations.  7. Exogamy: The rule that specifies marriage to a person from outside one’s own group (kin, caste, or community).  8. Incest taboo: A prohibition on whom one can and cannot marry or engage in sexual relations based on kinship. While most societies extend this taboo to some other members of kin, it minimally includes siblings and parents.  9. Matrilocal residence: A pattern of marital residence in which couples typically live with or near the wife’s parents.  10. Marriage: A socially approved sexual and economic union, presumed to be more or less permanent, entailing rights and obligations between the married couple and any children they might have.  11. Monogamy: Monogamy is a type of marriage limited to only one spouse at any given time.  12. Non-Sororal polygyny: In this type of polygyny in which a man is married to two or more women who are not sisters.  13. Patrilocal residence: This pattern of marital residence in which couples typically live with or near the husband’s parents.  14. Parallel cousins: The children of siblings of the same gender (i.e., the children of a woman and her sister or of a man and his brother are parallel cousins to each other)  15. Partible paternity: The belief that a child can have multiple biological fathers.  16. Polyandry: Two or more men are married to one woman simultaneously. Polyandry has two variations: formal and informal.  17. Polygyny: Two or more women are married to one man at the same time.  18. Sororal polygyny: A type of polygyny in which a man is married to two or more women, specifically sisters.  19. Hypergamy or Anuloma: Anuloma marriage is a social practice according to which a boy from upper Varna, Caste, sub-caste, Kul and Gotra can marry a girl from lower Varna, Caste, sub-caste, Kul and Gotra. 20. Hypogamy or Pratiloma: Pratiloma, on the other hand, is another form of inter-caste marriage in which a man belonging to a lower class or caste or Varna marries a woman of higher class or caste or varna. 21. Kulinism: Kulinism was practiced in Bengal, where a Brahmans wife had to live with her parents and the husband who was polygamous (Married many other women) visited the wives occasionally at their places and the children grew up in the house of maternal uncle.