Kebede Lemu Bekelcha, Aregash Eticha Sefera., GJAH, 2019 2:12 Review Article GJAH (2019) 2:12 Global Journal of Arts and Humanities (ISSN:2637-4765) Kinship, Marriage and Family Kebede Lemu Bekelcha1, Aregash Eticha Sefera2 Department of Social Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Bule Hora University Introduction This paper focuses mainly on marriage, family and kinship. An- *Correspondence to Author: thropologists traditionally have a strong interest in families, along Kebede Lemu Bekelcha with larger systems of kinship and marriage. These terms are core in anthropology discipline. They are socially constructed Department of Social Anthropology, and have different meanings across culture. All these three con- Faculty of Social Sciences and Hu- cepts are discussed in this paper accordingly with necessary ex- manities, Bule Hora University amples. How to cite this article: Kebede Lemu Bekelcha, Aregash Eticha Sefera. Kinship, Marriage and Family . Global Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2019, 2:12 eSciPub LLC, Houston, TX USA. Website: https://escipub.com/ GJAH:https://escipub.com/global-journal-of-arts-and-humanities// 1 Kebede Lemu Bekelcha, Aregash Eticha Sefera., GJAH, 2019 2:12 Kinship relatives—people related by birth. Affines are “in-laws”—people related by marriage. Among Studies of kinship and households have long your consanguineous relatives are your been a hallmark of sociocultural anthropology. parents, siblings, grandparents, parents’ When people form an organized, cooperative siblings, and cousins. Your affines include your group based on their kinship relationships, sister’s husband, wife’s mother, and father’s anthropologists call it a kin group (Peoples and sister’s husband. In many societies, people Bailey, 2012:165). incorporate unrelated people into their family Kinship is considered the lifeblood or the social and household, acting and feeling toward them building blocks of the people anthropologists in the same way as they do consanguineous study. In non- industrialized, non-literate relatives. This practice is widespread enough cultures, kinship, marriage and the family form that there is a phrase for it: fictive kinship, in the bases of social life, economic activity and which individuals who are not actually biological political organization. The behavior and relatives act toward one another as if they were activities of people in such societies are usually kin. Adoption is the most familiar example kinship oriented (Keesing, 1981). (Peoples and Bailey, 2012:165). Anthropologists distinguish between two kinds of relatives. Consanguines are “blood” Key terms: Kinship: A network of relatives within which individuals possess certain mutual rights and obligations. Consanguines: “Blood” relatives, or people related by birth. Affines: In-laws, or people related by marriage. Fictive kinship: Condition in which people who are not biologically related behave as if they are relatives of a certain type. How kinship can be create? wife; husband and his wife's group; wife and Kinship can be created through three ways: her husband’s group, etc. (Zerihun, 2005:117). 1. Through Blood: this is the principle of 3. Through Adoption (fictive), fostering, god- consanguinity. A consanguine is a person who parenthood, etc. This is called the principle of is related to another person through blood. fictitious kinship. Fictitious kinship is, in other Consanguines include kin, not friends. words, a kind of relationship in which two Examples of consanguines are the following: a individuals create a kind of parent-child parent's (father/mother/grand-parent) relation to relationship without any blood or marriage ties a child; relation between siblings (brothers and (Zerihun, 2005:117). sisters); an individual’s relation to his/ her Why do Anthropologists study Kinship? uncle, aunt, niece or nephew; etc. (Zerihun, Anthropologists study kinship because it is the 2005:117). relationship between people through marriage, 2. Through Marriage: this is the principle of family, or other cultural arrangements. Through affinity. E.g. kinship ties between husband and kinship there is a transmission of goods, ideas and behavior. Kinship is defined as a sense of GJAH:https://escipub.com/global-journal-of-arts-and-humanities// 2 Kebede Lemu Bekelcha, Aregash Eticha Sefera., GJAH, 2019 2:12 being related to a person or people through In Western society and that of developed descent, sharing or marriage. This provides the nations, kinship relationships certainly are base for an examination of different styles of important in individuals’ lives. But, compared to partnership, community and reproduction many other peoples that anthropologists work across the globe. Anthropologists study kinship among, kinship is not an important organizing relationships along with the family to fully principle of society as a whole. Instead, comprehend how individual thought and different kinds of specialized groups organize behavior are influenced by these interacting different kinds of activities (Peoples and Bailey, aspects of human communities (Scupin and 2012: 192). DeCorse, 2011:307). Family of Orientation and Family of Procreation Family of Orientation: Nuclear family in which one is born and grows up. Family of Procreation: Nuclear family established when one marries and has children. Anthropologists distinguish family between the contributing members of society. The family of family of orientation (the family in which one is procreation (formed when one marries and has born and grows up). This family exists to children) (Kottak, 2009:141). develop, nurture and socialize the children into My family types using kinship diagram Descriptive and Classificatory Kinship kinship. For example, the term ‘father’ and The kinship is classified in to two types ‘mother’ are applied to our parents only and to depending on the range of application of the no one else. term. These are descriptive and classificatory 2.2. Classificatory Kinship kinship. The kinship term which applies to persons of 2.1. Descriptive kinship two or more kinship categories, is known as The kinship term which applies to only one classificatory kinship. For example, the term particular kin category is known as descriptive “cousin” is used for referring to father’s GJAH:https://escipub.com/global-journal-of-arts-and-humanities// 3 Kebede Lemu Bekelcha, Aregash Eticha Sefera., GJAH, 2019 2:12 brother’s son, father’s sister’s son, mother’s Every society has a coherent system of labeling brother’s son as well as to mother’s sister’s various types of kin. However, cultural son. Similarly, the term ‘uncle’ refers to anthropologists have identified six basic mother’s brother, father’s brother, mother’s classification systems. These are Eskimo, sister’s husband and father’s sister’s husband. Hawaiian, Iroquois, Omaha, Crow and Kinds of Kinship systems across the world Sudanese kinship systems. 6% Crow 9% Sudanese Hawaiian 36% Hawaiian Iroquois 9% Omaha Eskimo 11% Eskimo Omaha Sudanese 29% Iroquois Crow (Source: Ferraro, 2008:249) Let me see all of them as follows; is distinguished from the father’s brother, who is 1. Sudanese Kinship System distinguished from the father; the mother’s sister is distinguished from the mother, as well Sudanese kinship system (also known as as from the father’s sister. Each cousin is descriptive system) is found among the peoples distinguished from all others, as well as from of southern Sudan in Africa. Hence, the name siblings. It is therefore more precise than any of Sudanese. In this system, the mother’s brother the other systems (Haviland, 1999:311). GJAH:https://escipub.com/global-journal-of-arts-and-humanities// 4 Kebede Lemu Bekelcha, Aregash Eticha Sefera., GJAH, 2019 2:12 2. Eskimo Kinship System uncles and cousins) are lumped together. This Found in approximately 1/10 of the world’s emphasis on the nuclear family is related to the societies, the Eskimo kinship system is fact that societies using the Eskimo system lack associated with bilateral descent. The major large descent groups such as lineages and feature of this system is that it emphasizes the clans. Moreover, the Eskimo system is most nuclear family by using separate terms (such as likely to be found in societies (such as the US mother, father, sister, brother) that are not used and certain food collecting societies) in which outside the nuclear family. Beyond the nuclear economic conditions favor an independent family, many other relatives (such as aunts, nuclear family (Ferraro, 2008:249). 3. Hawaiian Kinship System system, which uses the least number of Found in approximately one third of world’s terms, is often associated with ambilineal societies, the Hawaiian system uses a single descent, which permits a person to affiliate term for all relatives of the same sex and with either the mother’s or father’s kin. The generation. To illustrate a person’s father, Hawaiian system is found in societies that father’s brother and mother’s brother are all submerge the nuclear family into a larger kin referred to by the single term father. In group to the extent that nuclear family EGO’s own generation, the only distinction is members are roughly equivalent in based on sex, so that male cousins are importance to more distant kin (Ferraro, equated with brothers and female cousins 2010:246). are equated with sisters. The Hawaiian 4. Iroquois Kinship System different term. Likewise EGO’s mother and In Iroquois system EGO’s father and father’s mother’s sister are lumped together under brother are called by the same term, and one term, and a different term is used for EGO’s mother’s brother is called by a EGO’s father’s sister. Thus a basic GJAH:https://escipub.com/global-journal-of-arts-and-humanities// 5 Kebede Lemu Bekelcha, Aregash Eticha Sefera., GJAH, 2019 2:12 distinction of classification is made between father’s sister). Thus terminological the sex of one’s parent’s siblings (that is distinction made between cross and parallel mother’s brothers and sisters and father’s cousins are logical, given the distinction brothers and sisters).