Kinship 2

ANALYZE THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF
CULTURAL, SOCIAL,
POLITICAL AND MELC 4
ECONOMIC SYMBOLS
KINSHIP
Kinship ties can also be

forged through social
means.
KINSHIP BY BLOOD
 One factor that allows an individual to
identify another individual as a family
member is through consanguinity, popularly
called as BLOOD RELATIVES. This type
of kinship links individuals based on their
genetic relations (their bloodline)
Consanguinity ("blood relation",
from Latin consanguinitas) is the
characteristic of having a kinship
with another person (being
descended from a common
ancestor).
Many jurisdictions have laws
prohibiting people who are
related by blood from marrying
or having sexual relations with
each other.
The degree of consanguinity that gives rise to
this prohibition varies from place to place.
Such rules are also used to determine heirs of

an estate according to statutes that govern
intestate succession, which also vary from
jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
In some places and time
periods, this is allowed or even
encouraged
In others, it is taboo, and

cousin marriage considered to be
incest
KINSHIP BY BLOOD
 This is referred to as descent or the
socially accepted connection between an
ancestor and its succeeding generation.
KINSHIP BY BLOOD
 Kinship connections are perceived to be
a great importance in some societies. Due
to this, descent rules re created and
followed. In anthropology, there are four
main descent that are categorized.
1. UNILINEAL DESCENT
 This allow an individual to be affiliated
to the descent of one sex group only –
either the male or female.
UNILINEAL DESCENT
Matriarchal Societies Around The World
Mosuo (China) The culture of the Mosuo is rooted in a
matrilineal set-up where the family lineage of an
individual is traced through the female line.
Minangkabau (Indonesia)
Bribri (Costa Rica) The Bribri is an indigenous
community that lives in regions of Costa Rica and
Panama
TYPES OF UNILINEAL
DESCENT
 MATRILINEAL DESCENT -
leads an individual to trace kinship
relations through the female’s line. This
implies that the surname and inheritances
of a family are passed from one female to
the other.
MATRILINEAL DESCENT
GROUP
All of the offspring of the
females were able to
acquire the darker color,
which represents the
descent. All of the
offspring of the males
received a lighter color.
MATRILINEAL DESCENT
GROUP
Example: In Asia, the Minangkabau ethnic
group of West Sumatra, Indonesia, practices
matrilineage. In this society, land and property
ownership is passed on from mother to
daughter, leaving the men to deal with political
and religious affairs. Matrilineal descent is also
referred to as uterine descent.
 PATRILINEAL DESCENT
An individual traces his or her kinship
through the male’s line only. This promotes a
passing down of name and inheritance to the
male offspring only, while allowing the
female offspring to be part of another family
through marriage.
PATRILINEAL DESCENT
 This is also referred to as agnatic descent.
A lot of societies in Asia are patrilineal. The
most popular are the Chinese who are highly
patrilineal, enforcing a strict kinship
relations traced through the male’s line.
PATRILINEAL DESCENT
The figure shows that the darker
color is passed down to all offspring
by the males. Hence, although a
female gets to receive the darker
color, she is not able to pass it onto
her children. In traditional Chinese
kinship books, the only females
recorded are the mothers. Female
children are excluded from the list, as
they are believed to be married off
and made part of another family.
 An expansion of unilineal descent groups create a
kinship group called the CLAN.
 This type of kinship is observed among groups of
people who believe that they have unilineal relations
based on a common ancestor.
 the primary difference between a clan and the earlier
unilineal descent groups is that individuals from the
former cannot specify their actual relations.
 This commonly renders the ancestors as a mythical
figure. Among Native Americans, ancestors are often
ascribed animal characteristics.
 these clan originators are labelled in anthropology
as TOTEMS.
 Hence, clan members use animal symbols to
represent their group.
 In North America, totem poles are erected by
Native American clans as a form of remembrance of
their family’s past.
 Further expansion of clans into larger descent
groups create PHRATRIES. Similar to clans, the
identity of the kinship originator is usually
unknown, rendering him or her as a mythical
being.
 This type of descent was observed in the
highlands of New Guinea, where kinship is
traced through the male line. Hence, the clans
consider each other as brothers or fathers and
 MOIETY
 Final type of unilineal descent group.
 Although similar with phratries in having
multiple clans within it, a moiety differs
from a phratry in its function of creating a
sustainable systematic balance within a
society.
 A society can be divided into two
distinct moieties that perform
reciprocal responsibilities with one
another.
 This characteristics ensures
equality of access to economic and
political values.
 Example: The Kareira of the
Australian aborigines practices a
kinship system that allows for
the intermarriage between
moieties, ensuring a stronger
bond between the two groups.
2. BILATERAL DESCENT
 Bilateral descent allows an individual
to trace kinship ties on both sides of
the family. This means that an
individual can recognize both his or
her parents’ relatives as his or her own
relatives.
BILATERAL DESCENT
 In this type of kinship, everyone knows
how he or she is connected to everyone.
This provides a limit on the extent by which
kinship ties can be recognized. Hence,
unlike unilineal descent that can trace
relations to several generations from the
point person (Ego), bilateral descent can
only trace Ego’s immediate family.
Bilateral descent
 In some cases, ties with the nuclear family
can be extended to the family members of the
spouses. This kinship grouping is called
KINDRED. As this type of group is often
united by a common relative, it risks of
dissolution when connections to the common
relative is lost.
EXAMPLE
 If spouse dies, the connection between
the living spouse and the deceased family
may be served, which results in the
dissolution of the kindred group. Most
families in the Philippines practice
bilateral descent grouping.

Kinship 2

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Kinship 2

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Kinship 2

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ANALYZE THE

Kinship ties can also be

Such rules are also used to determine heirs of

In others, it is taboo, and

You might also like