Sociology Notes

Topic-Kinship system
Definition of Kinship

1-Robin Fox: “Kinship is simply the relations between ‘kin that is person related by real,
putative or fictive consanguinity”.

2-Aberchrombie and others: “The social relationships deriving from blood ties (real and
supposed) and marriage are collectively referred to as kinship”.

3-A.R Radcliffe Brown: Kinship is “a system of dynamic relations between person and person in
a community, the behaviour of any two persons in any of these relations being regulated in some
way, and to a greater or less by social usage”.

Structural Principles of Kinship

The kinship system is governed by some basic principles which can be called the “facts of life”.

Robin Fox speaks of four such principles-

1-The women have the children

2-The men impregnate the women

3- The men usually exercise control 1

4-Primary kin do not mate with each other

These principles emphasizes the basic biological fact on which kinship system depends. Men and
women indulge in sexual interaction and as a result women bear children. This leads to blood ties
between the individuals and the special terms are used to recognise this relationship: mother,
child and father. The relationship based on blood ties is called “consanguineous kinship”, and the
relatives of this kind are called ‘consanguineous kin’.
The desire for reproduction gives rise to another kind of binding relationship. This kind of bond,
which arises out of a socially or legally defined martial relationship, is called “Affinal
relationship”, and the relatives so related are called ‘affinal kin’. The affinal kins [husband and
wife] are not related to one another through blood.

Rule of Descent

‘Descent’-refers to the social recognition of the biological relationship that exists between
the individuals. The ‘rule of descent’ refers to set of principles by which an individual traces his
descent.

There are three basic rules of descent:

1-Patrilineal Descent: According to this rule, descent is traced through the father’s or male line.
Here the descent criterion is restricted to males, and only descendants of a common ancestor in
the male line will be recognized as kin. These are known as agnatic or patrilineal kin.

2-Matrilineal Descent: Here the descent of the individual is traced through the mother or female
exclusively. The descendants are called here uterine or matrilineal kin.

3-Bilateral Descent: This is a rule in which the descent is traced through both the line, the female
line and also the male line or some or the other purpose.

Almost all kinship systems recognise bilateral that is relationships to both maternal andpaternal
kins. Ex- “Yako of Nigeria, utilise matrilineal descent for some purposes and patrilineal descent
for others. Here there exist a system of ‘ double unilineal descent’ which is normally known as
“double unilineal descent’ which is normally known as ‘double descent’.

Importance of the Rule of Descent

The rule of descent is very important for two main reasons:

1- Rule of descent establishes for every individual a network of social positions in which he
participates. He comes to know about his rights and obligations.
 2- Rule of descent invariably defines some rights of inheritance. Inheritance and succession
would go normally along the line of descent.

Types of Kins or Degree of Kinship:

 Primary Kins:
Those kins who are closely and directly related to one another are called primary kins. Normally

there are eight types of primary kins which includes husband-wife, father-son, mother-son,

father-daughter, mother-daughter, sister-brother, younger brother-elder brother, younger sister-

elder sister. One’s father is one’s primary consanguineous kins whereas one’s wife is one’s

primary affinal kins.

Secondary Kins:

Secondary Kins are defined in relation to our primary kins. Primary kins of our primary kins are

called secondary kins. Father’s brother, sister’s husband, brother’s wife are our secondary kins.

An anthropologist opines that there are 33 types of secondary kins.

Tertiary Kins:
The secondary kins of our primary kins are known as tertiary kins. Brother of sister’s husband,

wife of brother- in-law are example of tertiary kins. An anthropologist opines that there are at

about 151 types of tertiary kins.

Unilineal or Unilateral Groups

Lineage

A lineage is a unilineal descent group in which membership may rest either on patrilineal descent

group in which membership may rest either on patrilineal descent [patrilineage] or on matrilineal
descent [matrilineage]”. A lineage thus consist of descendants in only one line , either the

father’s or the mother’s. These descendants know their exact genealogical relationship and who

recognise obligations to one another. A lineage is thus smaller and more localised than the

broader category of kinship grouping.

Clan or Sib

“A clan is a unilateral descent group, the members of which may claim either patrilineal descent
(patrician) or matrilineal descent (matrician) from a founder, but do not know the
genealogicalities with the ancestor/ ancestress”.

The “gotra”group of the Hindus represents a clan. These clans may have a common totemic

name and common ritual taboos against eating the flesh of the totemic animal.

Phratry

“A Phratry is a grouping of clans which are related by traditions of common descent”.

Phratry is larger than the clan and includes people scattered over relatively large areas among

whom it is not possible to trace relationship without bringing in a mythical common ancestor.

Moieties

“ Where the descent groups of a society are organized into two main divisions, these are known

as moieties [halves]”.

The term “moiety” refers to the bisection of a tribe into two complementary social groups.

Kinship Usages
Kinship usagers or the rules of kinship serve two main purposes:

1- Firstly, they create groups or special groupings or kin. Example: family extended family,
clan etc.
2- Secondly, the kinship rules govern governs the role of relationships among the kins.
Kinship usage provides guidelines for interaction among persons in these social
groupings. It defines proper and acceptable role relationships. Thus it acts as a regulator
of social life.
These kinship relations are regulated according to usages prevalent in the society. Some
of these relationships are: quoidance, tekonymy, avunculate, amitate, couvades and
joking relationship.

Rule of Avoidance

Avoidance means that two kins normally of opposite sex should avoid each other. In
almost tall societies avoidance rules prescribe that men and women must maintain certain
amount of modesty in dress, speech, gait and gesture in a mixed company”.

Example, the father-in-law should avoid daughter-in-law. The bride must also avoid
mother-in-law’s brothers. The son-in-law must also avoid his mother-in-law and other
female-relatives of his wife.[mostly mother-in-law].(i) Amongst the Yukafir, the son-in-
law is not supposed to see the face of his mother-in-law and father-in-law.(iii) Amongst
the Ostiyak, the married man is not supposed to see the face of his mother-in-law at least
till he gets a child. (iii) Among the Aruntas, if the mother-in-law enters or approaches the
hut of her son-in-law she would be excommunicated.(iv) Amongst the Veddas of Ceylon
elder brother and sisters are not supposed to live in the same house and even eat together.
In some societies, even the husband and wife are not supposed to touch each other or
show affection in the presence of others. Calling of the personal name is also tabooed.
Example: The Hindu wife is not supposed to call her husband by his name.

The rule of avoidance is believed to serve two purposes:

Joking Relationship
A joking relationship involves a particular combination of friendliness and
antagonism between individuals and groups in certain social situations. In these
situations one individual or group is allowed to mock or ridicule the other without
offence being taken”.

The usage of the joking relationship permits to tease and make fun of the other. Such
relationships prevail between a grandson or grand-daughter on the one hand, his or
her grand-father and grand-mother, on the other. Example: (i) Amongst Oraons of
Orissa and the Baigas of Madhya Pradesh such relationships prevail between the
grand father and grand mother and their grand children. Majumdar and Madan have
cited the example of a case in which a grandfather had married his grand-daughter
and got a child in her.
ii- Among the Crow- Indians such relationships may prevail between a man and his
wife’s sisters. They could be very friendly and even talk freely about sex matters.
iii- Amongst the original inhabitants of Fiji island a son-in-law could be very friendly
with his father-in-law and could ask for anything in his house and he may even spoil a
few articles just for fun. The father-in-law is expected to bear with that and not to
react harshly.
A.R Radcliff Brown in his book “Structure and Function in Primitive Society”,1952
has thrown much light on this type of relationship.
Chappel and Coon have said these relationships help the individuals to develop
intimacy and closeness among themselves.

Tekenomy
According to this usage, a kin is not referred to directly but is referred to through
another kin.
Eg: i- In a traditional Hindu family, wife does not directly utter the name of her
husband but refers to her husband as father of so and so, say , Deepti or Swathi, or
Vikram or Varun, (ii) amongst Hopi, a woman refers to her mother-in-law as the
grand-mother of so and so.
James Frazer has said this kind of a usage is found amongst people in many places
such as Australia, New Guinea, North Siberia, Africa, British Columbia, Andaman
Island, and so on.

Avunculate [Avunciate]

This refers to the special relationship that persists in some societies between man and
his mother’s brother”.
This term, from the latin “avunculus”[mother’s brother] is sometimes used to describe
the authority of the mother’s brother over his sister ‘children in a matrilineal society.
This usage is found in a matriarchal system in which prominence is given to the
maternal uncle in the life of his nephews and nieces.

Amitate

Amitate is a usage which gives special role to the father’s sister. Here the father’s
sister is given more respect than the mother. Eg- This usage is more prevalent
amongst the Kongs of Polynesia, Thodas of Nilgiri, and amongst the Crow-Indians.
Amongst the Thodas, the child gets its names not through its parents but through the
father’s sister. Because, naming the child is her privilege. This usage is normally
prevalent in patrilineal systems.

Couvade
This kinship usage involves only husband and wife. According to this usage, the
husband is made to lead the life of an invalid along with his wife whenever she gives
birth to a child. He is then not supposed to engage himself in hard work but expected
to observe dieting and certain other taboos.

Anthropologists have observed the practice of this usage amongst the Khasis and
Thodas of India, the Kharibs of South Africa.

According to Malinowski, the usage of Couvade contributes to a strong martial bond