|
Kinship and descent (675 words) |
 | Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. |
| A unilineal society (such as the Iroquois system) is one in which the descent of an individual is reckoned either from the mother's or the father's descent group. |
| Societies can also consider descent to be ambilineal (such as Hawaiian system) where offspring determine their lineage through the matrilineal line or the patrilineal line. |
| ambilineal (374 words) |
| Ambilineal structures are, therefore, similar to unilineal forms and result in the construction of ancestor focused groups with discrete and exclusive memberships, often occupying distinct territories. |
| Ambilineal descent groups, also termed ramages, are similar to unilineal forms since they involve the formation of discrete and exclusive units. |
| The structural features of ambilineal descent systems offer the advantages of supporting coherent and permanent groups with fixed assets and territories as well as a flexible arrangement for distributing populations to match land availabilities. |
Feeds |
Contact