Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Overview
Families, Kinship and Descent
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The two basic units of social organization among foragers are the
nuclear family and the band.
Typically, the band exists only seasonally, breaking up into nuclear
families when subsistence means require.
Descent Groups
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Ambilineal Descent
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People can choose the descent group that they want to belong to.
Membership is fluid as people can change their descent group
membership.
With unilineal descent, membership is ascribed, but for ambilineal
descent, membership is achieved.
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In tribal societies, the descent group, not the nuclear family, is the
fundamental unit.
In many societies, descent groups are corporate, sharing resources and
property.
Unilocal Residence
Patrilocalitymarried couple lives with husband's family; associated with
patrilineal descent and is more common than matrilocality.
Matrilocalitymarried couple lives with wife's family; associated with
matrilineal descent and is less common than patrilocality.
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Kinship Calculation
Bilateral Kinship
Used by most Americans and Canadians.
Kinship is traced through both male and female lines.
Kin links through males and females are perceived as being similar or
equivalent.
In North American bilateral kinship there is often matrilineal skewing, a
preference for relatives on the mother's side.
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Kinship Terminology
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