ANT 201 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Consistency, Kinship Terminology, Unilineality
Document Summary
Kinship is not an organizing principle of society. Characteristics of groups: voluntary and have nonoverlapping members. Groups organize many aspects of people"s lives. Place importance on either mother"s ancestral line or father"s. Patrilineal descent: tracing kinship through ancestors/relatives of father (most common) Individuals have greater obligations to patrilineal relatives. Matrilineal descent: tracing kinship through ancestors/relatives of mother. Property passed down through female line + through women"s brothers. Localizes male matrilineal relatives who have common interest in land, wealth, property. Parallel cousins: cousins if parents are siblings of the same sex. Cross cousins: cousins if parents are siblings of opposite sex. Unilineal descent groups : a group of relatives, all of whom are related through only one sex. Established on the basis of kinship ties. Useful for mobilizing relatives when someone needs assistance. Matrilineal and patrilineal descent groups: group whose members are related through females/males to a common female/male ancestor.
