Kinship and Marriage Around the World

These flashcards cover various concepts related to kinship and marriage practices across cultures, highlighting differences and similarities in how societies view familial relationships and marriage.

Matrilineal

A societal structure in which lineage and inheritance are traced through the maternal line, often emphasizing the roles of mothers and female relatives.

Patrilineal

A societal structure in which lineage and inheritance are traced through the paternal line, emphasizing the roles of fathers and male relatives.

Polyandry

A form of marriage in which a woman has multiple husbands simultaneously, often found in certain cultural contexts as a means to preserve family resources.

Fraternal Polyandry

A specific type of polyandry where a woman marries brothers, sharing the responsibility for children and resources.

Walking Marriage

A form of relationship practiced by the Mosuo where partners do not live together or form a legally binding union, allowing flexibility in relationships.

Exogamy

A social arrangement in which marriage is allowed only outside of a specified group, such as those defined by kinship or cultural ties.

Endogamy

Marriage within a specific social group or category, often upheld to maintain cultural, religious, or economic homogeneity.

K'é

A Navajo term that encompasses kinship and broader social obligations, reflecting the connections and responsibilities of individuals within a community.

Bride Wealth

Assets given by the groom and his family to the bride's family as part of a marriage arrangement, reflecting the value placed on women in a society.

Dowry

A transfer of parental property or wealth to the groom in a marriage, often seen in patrilineal societies as a means of securing the economic stability of the new family.

Consanguineal Kin

Relatives by blood, including parents, siblings, and other direct ancestral relationships.

Affinal Kin

Relatives by marriage, such as in-laws and step family members.

Fictive Kin

Individuals who are considered family but are not related by blood or marriage, such as close family friends or adopted members.

Partible Paternity

A social recognition of multiple fathers for a child, acknowledging contributions to parenting across several males, regardless of genetic ties.

Ceremony

A formal event celebrating significant cultural or religious practices, often including rituals to signify marriage, birth, or death.

Cousin Marriage

Marriage between individuals whose parents are siblings, common in many cultures that value close relational ties.

Navajo

A modern matrilineal tribe in the U.S. Southwest, whose kinship system is organized by clans and deeply influenced by cultural practices.

Pueblo Bonito

An archaeological site in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, known for its large stone structures and significant historical cultural practices.