We can build all genealogical We can build all genealogical relationships with just these relationships with just these

elements:elements:EgoEgoMarriage: W = HMarriage: W = HEgo’s generation:Ego’s generation:Sister = ZSister = ZBrother = BBrother = BUp one generation:Up one generation:Mother = MMother = MFather = FFather = FDown one Down one

generation:generation:Daughter = DDaughter = DSon = S Son = S

=

=

EGO WZB

MF

S D

Genealogical relationsGenealogical relations

Are an etic grid likeAre an etic grid like

the international phonetic alphabetthe international phonetic alphabet

and the color chartand the color chart

But different cultures can combine the But different cultures can combine the same relationships in different ways same relationships in different ways to make different systems of kinshipto make different systems of kinship

LineageLineage

All the people descended from a All the people descended from a common ancestorcommon ancestor

Through either the Through either the mother’s or the father’s mother’s or the father’s

sideside

mothers side=matrilinealmothers side=matrilinealfather’s side=patrilinealfather’s side=patrilineal

matrilinealmatrilineal

Everyone belongs to their mother’s Everyone belongs to their mother’s lineagelineage

Everyone gets their lineage affiliation Everyone gets their lineage affiliation from their motherfrom their mother

Incest prohibitionIncest prohibition

You can’t marry a relativeYou can’t marry a relative

Who is a relative?Who is a relative?

Cousins?Cousins?

EGO

==

cousin

cousin

cousin

cousin

Why?Why?

Because in the European system, Because in the European system, they’re all related in the same way—they’re all related in the same way—

Children of a parent’s sibling—Children of a parent’s sibling—

They belong to the same cultural They belong to the same cultural category, “Cousin”category, “Cousin”

But in systems with But in systems with lineages, you have to lineages, you have to

know which side know which side someone is related someone is related

through—through—mother’s or fathersmother’s or fathers

It makes the difference It makes the difference between incest and a between incest and a desirable marriagedesirable marriage

What is a sibling?What is a sibling?

In the European system, it is a person In the European system, it is a person with the same parents.with the same parents.

EGO

==

cousin

cousin

cousin

cousin

=

=

In the European system

All the Yellows are siblings and

All the Oranges are siblings

MotherFather

Aunt AuntUncleUncle

brothersister

In a lineage systemIn a lineage system

It is a member of the same lineage It is a member of the same lineage that is in the same generation.that is in the same generation.

EGO

== =

=

All the “yellow” people are members of the same matrilineal lineage—siblings are members of your

lineage in the same generation

brother

brother

sister

sister

mother

mother

aunt

father

Mother’s brother is NOT the same as uncle

uncle

These two are in the same generation, but not the same lineage, so they are not related in any way

EGO

== =

=

brother

brother

sister

mother

FZ aunt

fatheruncle

sister

These two are in the same generation, but not the same lineage, so they are not related in any way

FB

All the “orange” people are members of the same patrilineal lineage—siblings are members of your

lineage in the same generation

Patri or MatrilinealPatri or Matrilineal

People of the same generation and the People of the same generation and the same lineage are siblingssame lineage are siblings

People of the same generation who are People of the same generation who are children of your mother’s brother or children of your mother’s brother or father’s sister arefather’s sister are

CROSS COUSINSCROSS COUSINS

soso

In lineage systems, the people that the In lineage systems, the people that the European system calls “cousins” are European system calls “cousins” are either siblings (and you can’t marry either siblings (and you can’t marry them) them)

or they areor they are

CROSS COUSINSCROSS COUSINS

And you not only And you not only CANCAN marry them, marry them,

you you SHOULDSHOULD marry them marry them

MBD and FZDMBD and FZD

Are cross cousinsAre cross cousins

Child of parent’s sibling of opposite sexChild of parent’s sibling of opposite sex

Child of Child of

MBMB

OrOr

FZFZ

The reasonThe reason

Is part of lineage systems…Is part of lineage systems…

Suppose we have a matrilineal lineage Suppose we have a matrilineal lineage system like in the Trobriandssystem like in the Trobriands

men marry MBDmen marry MBD

=

=

EGO

Ego’s Mother = M

Ego’s Mother’s Brother = MB

MB must marry a woman from a different lineage

MB’s kids belong to their mom’s lineage

Ego’s Mother’s Brother’s Daughter=MBD

Ego’s kids belong to

their mom’s lineage

Women marry FZSWomen marry FZS

=

=

EGOShe and her brother belong to their mom’s lineage

Their mom must be married to someone who is not in their lineage

Ego’s father=F

Father’s sister (FZ) belongs to his lineage because they have the same mother

Her son (FZS) belongs to her lineage

Matrilineal Matrilineal lineageslineages

= = =

==

= =

=

=

=

Orange men always marry Yellow women

Yellow women always marry Orange men

Orange women always marry Blue men

Blue men always marry Orange women

Lineage exchangesLineage exchanges

Yellow Lineage

Orange Lineage

Blue Lineage

wives

wives

husbands

husbands

Everyone marries a FZS Everyone marries a FZS or MBD or MBD

MBD and FZDMBD and FZD

Are cross cousinsAre cross cousins

Child of parent’s sibling of opposite sexChild of parent’s sibling of opposite sex

Parallel cousinsParallel cousins

Are FBS, FBDAre FBS, FBD

And MZS, MZDAnd MZS, MZD

Children of parent’s sibling of same Children of parent’s sibling of same sexsex

So in many systemsSo in many systems

The most desirable marriage partner is The most desirable marriage partner is a cross-cousin of the opposite sex a cross-cousin of the opposite sex because it is part of the system of because it is part of the system of exchanges among lineagesexchanges among lineages

With these exchanges in With these exchanges in every generationevery generation

If you’re a male, you can be sure that If you’re a male, you can be sure that your mother’s sister is the same as your mother’s sister is the same as as your father’s brother’s wife as your father’s brother’s wife because men of your lineage always because men of your lineage always marry women of your mother’s marry women of your mother’s lineage. Your wife will be from that lineage. Your wife will be from that lineage too.lineage too.

If you’re a womanIf you’re a woman

You can be sure that your mother’s You can be sure that your mother’s sister’s husband is the same as your sister’s husband is the same as your father’s brother because the women father’s brother because the women of your lineage always marry men of your lineage always marry men from your father’s lineage. Your from your father’s lineage. Your husband will be from that lineage husband will be from that lineage too. too.

== =

=

Patrilineal System

Orange men always marry yellow women, so:

And MZD is going to be in your own, orange lineage like FBD—they are your sisters

ego

So everyone marries cross cousins, for women, FZS; for men MBD

== =

=

Matrilineal system

ego

Yellow women always marry orange men so:

And FBD is going to be in your own, yellow lineage like MZD—they are your sisters

So everyone marries cross cousins, for women, FZS; for men MBD

TRUKTRUK

Ward GoodenoughWard Goodenough

Residence rulesResidence rules

Where does a newly-married couple Where does a newly-married couple live?live?

Whose land do they use? Who gets the Whose land do they use? Who gets the benefit of their labor?benefit of their labor?

Residence RulesResidence RulesMatrilocal—live with wife’s parents’ Matrilocal—live with wife’s parents’

groupgroup

Patrilocal—live with husband’s parent’s Patrilocal—live with husband’s parent’s groupgroup

Avunculocal—live with husband’s MB’s Avunculocal—live with husband’s MB’s groupgroup

Neolocal—live in a new placeNeolocal—live in a new place

Goodenough did a census of households on Goodenough did a census of households on Truk but his count of different kinds of Truk but his count of different kinds of residence was very different from another residence was very different from another census that was done just 3 years earlier.census that was done just 3 years earlier.

Goodenough compared his data with the Goodenough compared his data with the other anthropologist’s and found that they other anthropologist’s and found that they had counted the same people as living in had counted the same people as living in the same households. the same households.

In one house was: • an old man• his second wife• his three sons by his first wife• and the wife of his oldest son.

=

= =

A patrilocal extended family

Because the 2 living wives had joined their husbands in his place

butbut

In Truk lineages are matrilineal and In Truk lineages are matrilineal and own land. Individuals and households own land. Individuals and households cannot own land. So the old man had cannot own land. So the old man had married and moved to his wife’s married and moved to his wife’s lineage land. So this looks like lineage land. So this looks like matrilocal residence.matrilocal residence.

People in Truk think that siblings People in Truk think that siblings should grow up together. So when should grow up together. So when the first wife died, her lineage the first wife died, her lineage allowed the 3 sons, members of their allowed the 3 sons, members of their lineage, to stay on to be with their lineage, to stay on to be with their siblings. And they let the old man siblings. And they let the old man stay because he was the father of 3 stay because he was the father of 3 of their lineage members.of their lineage members.

=

= =

Matrilocal residence because the man moves to the yellow lineage’s land. When his wife dies, the yellow lineage lets him stay because the 3 sons are their lineage mates.

Newly married couples have to make a Newly married couples have to make a living.living.

To get access to land, they can join:To get access to land, they can join:• The wife’s lineageThe wife’s lineage• The husband’s lineageThe husband’s lineage• Wife’s father’s lineageWife’s father’s lineage• Husband’s father’s lineageHusband’s father’s lineage

Other factors includeOther factors include

• Kids should grow up with their Kids should grow up with their siblings—their lineage matessiblings—their lineage mates

• The husband has responsibilities in The husband has responsibilities in his own lineage-especially to his his own lineage-especially to his sister’s kids--the kids of his own sister’s kids--the kids of his own lineage--so he can’t be too far awaylineage--so he can’t be too far away

• First choice is wife’s lineage placeFirst choice is wife’s lineage place• But if they don’t have enough landBut if they don’t have enough land• Or it’s too far from the husband’s Or it’s too far from the husband’s

family,family,• The Husband’s lineage placeThe Husband’s lineage place• And if neither has landAnd if neither has land• Her father’s lineage placeHer father’s lineage place• Or his father’s lineage placeOr his father’s lineage place

Goodenough’s Goodenough’s conclusionconclusion

Residence rules are not an etic grid Residence rules are not an etic grid like genealogical diagrams or color like genealogical diagrams or color chips or the international phonetic chips or the international phonetic alphabetalphabet

Residence rule are ethnocentric Residence rule are ethnocentric because if we see things as because if we see things as matrilocal, patrilocal, avunculocal. or matrilocal, patrilocal, avunculocal. or neolocal, we are not seeing things neolocal, we are not seeing things through the emic categories of the through the emic categories of the people; we aren’t understanding people; we aren’t understanding from their point of view.from their point of view.

The important thing is to see from the The important thing is to see from the point of view of the people we are point of view of the people we are trying to understand and not to be trying to understand and not to be ethnocentric.ethnocentric.

For instance…For instance…

not everyone defines cousins, not everyone defines cousins, brothers, sisters, and desirable brothers, sisters, and desirable marriage partners the way the marriage partners the way the European system does.European system does.

So we have to understand about So we have to understand about matrilineal and patrilineal lineages, matrilineal and patrilineal lineages, marriage exchanges among lineages, marriage exchanges among lineages, and the importance of cross-cousins. and the importance of cross-cousins.

Or in TrukOr in Truk

Instead of asking about residence Instead of asking about residence rules, we should ask, ‘how do people rules, we should ask, ‘how do people decide where to live when they get decide where to live when they get married? What factors are important married? What factors are important to them?’to them?’