Chapter 8: Kinship and Marriage
Objectives:




Articulate the importance of kinship and marriage
in social organization
Compare and contrast the various descent
systems
Understand anthropological approaches to the
study of marriage
Describe the variety of family systems present in
the Bible
Kinship
Definition
The ways in which
people selectively
interpret the
common human
experiences of
reproduction and
nurturance
Examples:
 Who can marry
whom?
 To whom do children
belong?
 Where should
husbands/wives/
children/others live?
 Who is in my family?
Descent

A social rule assigning identity on
the basis of ancestry
Types:

Unilineal
patrilineal
 matrilineal
 dual


Cognatic
bilateral
 ambilineal

Descent Systems
unilineal
descent
systems
matrilineal
descent
dual
descent
patrilineal
descent
cognatic
descent
systems
bilateral
descent
ambilineal
descent
Unilineal Descent
Patrilineal
Descent traced
through the male
line



typically marks distinction
of lines in kinship
terminology
example of patrilineality:
ancient Israel
not equated with
patriarchy
Patrilineal Descent
Ancestor
Unilineal Descent
Matrilineal
Descent traced
through the
female line



not equated with
matriarchy
authority may remain with
male family member (e.g.,
mother’s brother)
inheritance, marital
residence, other social
expectations generally fall
to women
Matrilineal Descent
Ancestor
Unilineal Descent
Dual Descent
Two lines of descent
serve different
purposes


least common system of
unilineal descent
two lines of descent may
govern various sorts of
inheritance, alliance, and
so on
Cognatic Descent
Bilateral


Children seen as
related to both
parents equally
Kinship terms may
differentiate by
generation, gender,
and relative age, but
do not tend to
distinguish between
mother’s and
father’s kin
Ambilineal


Individuals choose
a lineage upon
reaching adulthood
(e.g., marriage)
Children seen as
equally related to
both lineages,
though one is
eventually chosen
as primary
Bilateral Descent System
EGO
Bilateral Kin
Functions of Descent Systems

Inheritance


Distribution of territory





Example: Jacob’s twelve sons and the distribution of the clans
(or segments) in the book of Joshua
Regulation of social conflict
Land ownership
Political representation
Ritual observance


Example: Jacob and Esau and the rule of primogeniture
(Genesis 27:1–28:9)
Example: Levites described in Num. 3–4
Cognatic systems generally serve fewer functions in
society than unilineal systems
Marriage
Definition:
A publicly recognized
social or legal union
that creates a
socially sanctioned
context for sexual
intimacy, establishes
(in whole or in part)
the parentage of
children, and
creates kinship.



produces affinal kin through
marriage
produces consanguinial kin
through birth
universal existence of incest
taboos (incest is defined
differently in different
societies)
Cousin Marriage

Cross or parallel cousin marriage
may be the preferred form of
marriage


Keeps families together, including
inheritance and land
Preexisting trust and knowledge makes
a good match easier
Cross Cousin Marriage
Parallel Cousin Marriage
Marriage and Economic Exchange
Bridewealth/service

Involves exchange of goods
or services from family of
groom to family of bride


Symbolizes loss of bride’s
labor, companionship, and
affection by natal family
Creates bonds of
indebtedness between
families
 Example: Jacob’s
brideservice for his
marriages to Leah and
Rachel
Dowry


Exchange of goods from
bride’s family to groom’s
family or to the bride as
a gift to bring into the
marriage
Reflects the ideal of the
groom’s family taking on
the financial
responsibility to support
the bride
Plural Marriage/Polygamy
Polygyny



Union of one man to
two or more women in
marriage
Provides for larger
households, more labor,
and larger lineages
Can serve to create
multiple alliances
Polyandry



Union of one woman to
two or more men in
marriage
More rare
Typically involves brothers
marrying one woman
Family in the Bible

Multiple family forms depicted in
Scripture





polygyny
cousin marriage
adoptive
fictive kin
Emphasis on kinship behavior rather
than on kinship systems and rules