Iroquois kinship (also known as bifurcate merging) is a kinship system used to define family. Identified by Louis Henry Morgan in his 1871 work Systems of Consanguinity and Affinity of the Human Family, the Iroquois system is one of the six major kinship systems (Eskimo, Hawaiian, Iroquois, Crow, Omaha, and Sudanese). Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. ... a family of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 1997 Family is a Western term used to denote a domestic group of people, or a number of domestic groups linked through descent (demonstrated or stipulated) from a common ancestor, marriage or adoption. ... Lewis H. Morgan Lewis Henry Morgan (November 21, 1818 – December 17, 1881) is considered to be the Father of American anthropology, although his professional life was in the field of law. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Eskimo kinship (also referred to as Lineal kinship) is a kinship system used to define family. ... Hawaiian kinship (also referred to as the Generational system) is a kinship system used to define family. ... Crow kinship is a kinship system used to define family. ... Omaha kinship is a kinship system used to define family. ...

Kinship system

The system has both classificatory and descriptive terms. In addition to gender and generation, Iroquois kinship also distinguishes between parental siblings of opposite sexes. Parental siblings of the same sex are considered blood relatives (i.e., 'Parents'). However, parental siblings of differing sex are labelled as "Aunt" or "Uncle" as the situation necessitates. Thus, one's mother's sister is also called mother, and one's father's brother is also called father; however, one's mother's brother is called father-in-law, and one's father's sister is called mother-in-law.

Children of the parental generation (that is, children of parental siblings of the same sex) are considered siblings (parallel cousins). The children of an Aunt or an Uncle are not siblings, they are instead cousins (cross cousins specifically). Parallel cousin is an anthropological term denoting consanguinial kin who are in the same descent group as the subject and are from the parents same-sexed sibling. ... Cross Cousin is an anthropological term describing kin who are in the same descent group as the subject (ego) and are from the parents opposite-sexed sibling. ...

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (859x273, 12 KB)Graphic of the Iriqouis kinship system, authored by the uploader. ...

Marriage

Ego (the subject from whose perspective the kinship is based) is encouraged to marry his cross cousins but discouraged from marrying his parallel cousins. New genetic material is constantly brought into the pool via Ego's father's sister's (Aunt's) husband or Ego's mother's brother's (Uncle's) wife. The system also is useful in reaffirming alliances between related lineages or clans. Cross Cousin is an anthropological term describing kin who are in the same descent group as the subject (ego) and are from the parents opposite-sexed sibling. ... Parallel cousin is an anthropological term denoting consanguinial kin who are in the same descent group as the subject and are from the parents same-sexed sibling. ... This article is about the general scientific term. ... It has been suggested that Kinship be merged into this article or section. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Usage

The term Iroquois comes from the Iroquoian Indians of northeastern North America. However, multiple groups around the globe employ the "Iroquois" system and is fairly commonly found in unilineal descent groups. These include: For other uses, see Iroquois (disambiguation). ... Unilineality is a system of determining descent groups in which one belongs to ones fathers or mothers lineage. ...

1. The entire population of South India;
2. The Dravidian population of India and Sri Lanka;
3. Most of the rural population of China

South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... The Dravidian Race is the name sometimes still given to the peoples of southern and central India and northern Sri Lanka who speak Dravidian languages, the best known of which are Tamil (தமிழ்), Telugu (తెలుగు), Kannada and Malayalam. ...

South India and Sri Lanka

The entire Hindu population of South India, numbering in the vicinity of 250 million people, uses the kinship tradition described above. This includes not only the traditional encouragement of wedding ties between cross-cousins, but also the use of kinship TERMS in the following format: This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ...

• One's mother's sister is also called mother, and her husband is called father;
• One's father's brother is also called father, and his wife is called mother;
• However, one's mother's brother is called father-in-law, and his wife is called mother-in-law; and,
• One's father's sister is called mother-in-law, and her husband is called father-in-law

Parallel cousins are considered siblings, and it is forbidden for Ego to wed them. Cross cousins are however NOT siblings but termed Cousins; Ego may wed them. Parallel cousin is an anthropological term denoting consanguinial kin who are in the same descent group as the subject and are from the parents same-sexed sibling. ...

China

Until recently, the same system was in use in rural Chinese societies.

See also

• Family
• Kinship and descent
• Marriage
• Cultural anthropology
• Anthropology
• List of anthropologists

a family of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 1997 Family is a Western term used to denote a domestic group of people, or a number of domestic groups linked through descent (demonstrated or stipulated) from a common ancestor, marriage or adoption. ... Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. ... Marriage is an interpersonal relationship with governmental, social, or religious recognition, usually intimate and sexual, and often created as a contract, or through civil process. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Anthropology (from Greek: ἀνθρωπος, anthropos, human being; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is the study of humanity. ... The following is a list of scientists and scholars of anthropology: Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z John Adair Talal Asad Timothy Asch Nigel Barley Fredrik...

Sources

• William Haviland, Cultural Anthropology, Wadsworth Publishing, 2002. ISBN 0-534-27479-X
• The Nature of Kinship
• Schwimmer: Kinship and Social Organization: An Interactive Tutorial: Iroquois terminology