Kinship, Descent and
Social Organization
Kinship Systems
Descent
Social Organization
Marriage
Kinship system
 All blood and marriage relationships that
help people distinguish between different
categories of kin
 Creates rights and obligations between
people.
 Serves as basis for the formation of
certain types of kin groups.
Functions of Kinship system
 Vertical function-provides social
continuity by binding together a number
of successive generations.
 Horizontal function-ties together people
across a single generation through
marriage.
Descent
 Rules a culture uses to establish
affiliations with one's parents, an aspect
of kinship.
 Two types-Unilineal and Cognatic


Unilineal-people trace ancestry through
either mother's or father's line, but NOT
both.
Cognatic descent-people trace ancestry
through both parents lines.
Unilineal
 People trace ancestry through either
mother's or father's line, but NOT both.
 About 60% of kinship systems are
unilineal.
 Generally clear cut and unambiguous
social units.
 People of same descent group live
together, hold joint interests in property.
Patrilineal
 Trace descent through fathers line, most common
unilineal method.
 A man, his children, his brother's children and his sons
children are all members of the same descent group.
 Not his sister's children, because her husband is from a
different patrilineage and her children belong to his
descent group.
 Males and females are related patrilineally.



a father, his son and daughter are all part of same
patrilineage.
his daughters children are from a different patrilineage.
i.e daughter goes to live with husband.
Patrilineal
Matrilineal
 Trace descent through mother's line
 A woman, her children, her sister's
children and her daughter's children are
all members of the same descent group.
 Not her brother's children.

i.e. son goes to live with wife.
Matrilineal
Cognatic descent
 People trace ancestry through both parents
lines. Three types-Double, Ambilineal, Bilateral.
 !Kung are Bilateral

Person related equally to both ma's and pa's side
of the family. i.e. U.S. to some degree.
 Treat relatives on one side just like on othersymmetrical.
 aunt applies to pa's sister and ma's sister.
 doesn't distinguish which side.
Bilateral-e.g. !Kung
Literal and Metaphorical Kin
 Behavioral correlates-everyone in ego's
own generation and in the grandparents
generation are joking kin.

Joking-relaxed and affectionate, familiar.
 Anyone in ego's parents generation is
avoidance kin as are same-sex siblings.

Avoidance-respect, reserve, formal.
Naming
 Is complicated because first son and daughter
gets father's father and father's mother name.


Second get named after mother's parents.
Only 36 names for men and 32 for women.
 Anyone with father's name called father, wife's
name wife. So man can't marry anyone with
mother's or sister's name.
 But get around this with age distinctions when
they feel it necessary.
Lee-naming and adoption
 Named /Tonah for a woman’s uncle.
 Adopted by N!eishi and //Gumi.
 Confusion with kin and name because
had “kin” from adoptive family and “kin”
from name.
Social Organization
 Egalitarian Societies-hunter-gatherers, some tribes.
 No individual or group has more access to resources,
power, or prestige than does any other.



Does not mean all have equal prestige, but equal
access.
There are sex and age differences.
Individual differences in skill, can achieve prestige.
 No one, low or high esteem, denied right to make living.


No one subject to control by another.
No one subject to exploitation by another.
 Prestige gained based on ability.


No ascribed status.
Elderly men have most prestige, act as leaders.
!Kung- “Camp”
 Core of !Kung social organization.
 10-30 individuals
 Bilaterally related group



Related older people “leaders”
“Owners” of a waterhole
i.e. N!eishi and //Koka
 Flexible
Marriage among !Kung
 Arrangement



Search soon after birth
Boy’s mother approaches a girl’s mother
Betrothal sealed with gift-giving (kamasi)
 Prohibitions
 Incest Taboo
A
girl may not marry a father, brother, son,
uncle, first or second cousin

Kinship and naming
A
girl may not marry a boy with father’s or
brother’s name.
Case: Tin!ay (15 year old girl)
 Kau?

Same name as her father
 Bo

Too closely related
 Kashe

Same name as her brother
 Dam

Too closely related
 /Gau

Already betrothed
 Tsaa

Married to sister
Qualities in son-in-law
 Good Hunter
 No reputation as a fighter
 Congenial family
 Check: Groom comes to live with bride’s
family for several years and to hunt for
them (sometimes for 8-10 years).
 After children born, they can move back
to his family (patrilocal).
Age at Marriage
 Traditionally, girls 12-16; boys 18-25
 Sexual consummation would be delayed
for several years if girl very young.
 After 1970, girls 15-18; boys 22-30
Marriage-by-capture
 Mock forcible carrying away of the girl
from her parents hut to a specially built
hut.
 Customary, but underscores the tumult
often associated with first marriages,
because girls have no choice.
Number of Partners
 Mostly monogamous (93%)
 Polygynous (5%)

All 7 polygynous men healers.
 Polyandrous (2%)
Role of Marriage in Conflict
 Marriage creates bond between two
families and their camps.
 Gift-giving to support each other’s
camps.
 Some girls married at extremely early
age (8-10) to alleviate conflict.
Marriage of /Tontah (Lee)
 /Xashe wonders why /Tontah no married.
 Decides to betrothe him to her daughter,
//Toka.
 //Toka is 4 years old.
 /Tontah argues that he must check with
his parents first!
Sexuality
 Begins at very young age.
 Most have experienced sex before age
15.
 Very open.
 Marital infidelity rare, but does occur.

At one site, out of 50 couples-16 of those
had one or both partners having affair.