We can build all genealogical relationships with just these elements:

We can build all genealogical relationships with just these elements: = Ego Marriage: W = H Ego’s generation: Sister = Z Brother = B Up one generation: Mother = M Father = F Down one generation: Daughter = D Son = S F M = W EGO B Z S D

Genealogical relations Are an etic grid like the international phonetic alphabet and the color chart But different cultures can combine the same relationships in different ways to make different systems of kinship

Lineage All the people descended from a common ancestor

Through either the mother’s or the father’s sidemothers side=matrilinealfather’s side=patrilineal

matrilineal Everyone belongs to their mother’s lineage Everyone gets their lineage affiliation from their mother

Incest prohibition You can’t marry a relative

Who is a relative?

Cousins? = = cousin cousin EGO cousin cousin

Why? Because in the European system, they’re all related in the same way— Children of a parent’s sibling— They belong to the same cultural category, “Cousin”

But in systems with lineages, you have to know which side someone is related through—mother’s or fathers

It makes the difference between incest and a desirable marriage

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

In the European system All the Yellows are siblings and All the Oranges are siblings = = = = Uncle Aunt Uncle Aunt Father Mother brother cousin cousin cousin cousin sister EGO

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

All the “yellow” people are members of the same matrilineal lineage—siblings are members of your lineage in the same generation Mother’s brother is NOT the same as uncle = = = = aunt uncle mother father mother sister brother sister brother EGO These two are in the same generation, but not the same lineage, so they are not related in any way

All the “orange” people are members of the same patrilineal lineage—siblings are members of your lineage in the same generation = = = = aunt uncle FZ father mother FB sister brother sister brother EGO These two are in the same generation, but not the same lineage, so they are not related in any way

Patri or Matrilineal People of the same generation and the same lineage are siblings People of the same generation who are children of your mother’s brother or father’s sister are CROSS COUSINS

so In lineage systems, the people that the European system calls “cousins” are either siblings (and you can’t marry them) or they are CROSS COUSINS And you not only CAN marry them, you SHOULD marry them

MBD and FZD Are cross cousins Child of parent’s sibling of opposite sex Child of MB Or FZ

The reason Is part of lineage systems… Suppose we have a matrilineal lineage system like in the Trobriands

men marry MBD Ego’s Mother’s Brother = MB Ego’s Mother = M MB must marry a woman from a different lineage = = MB’s kids belong to their mom’s lineage EGO Ego’s Mother’s Brother’s Daughter=MBD Ego’s kids belong to their mom’s lineage

Women marry FZS Father’s sister (FZ) belongs to his lineage because they have the same mother Ego’s father=F Their mom must be married to someone who is not in their lineage = = She and her brother belong to their mom’s lineage Her son (FZS) belongs to her lineage EGO

Matrilineal lineages = = = = = = = =

Yellow women always marry Orange men = Orange men always marry Yellow women Orange women always marry Blue men = Blue men always marry Orange women

Lineage exchanges Yellow Lineage wives husbands Orange Lineage wives husbands Blue Lineage

Everyone marries a FZS or MBD

MBD and FZD Are cross cousins Child of parent’s sibling of opposite sex

Parallel cousins Are FBS, FBD And MZS, MZD Children of parent’s sibling of same sex

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

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

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

Patrilineal System Orange men always marry yellow women, so: = = = = ego And MZD is going to be in your own, orange lineage like FBD—they are your sisters So everyone marries cross cousins, for women, FZS; for men MBD

Matrilineal system Yellow women always marry orange men so: = = = = ego 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

TRUK Ward Goodenough

Residence rules Where does a newly-married couple live? Whose land do they use? Who gets the benefit of their labor?

Residence Rules Matrilocal—live with wife’s parents’ group Patrilocal—live with husband’s parent’s group Avunculocal—live with husband’s MB’s group Neolocal—live in a new place

Goodenough did a census of households on Truk but his count of different kinds of residence was very different from another census that was done just 3 years earlier. Goodenough compared his data with the other anthropologist’s and found that they had counted the same people as living in 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

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

People in Truk think that siblings should grow up together. So when the first wife died, her lineage allowed the 3 sons, members of their lineage, to stay on to be with their siblings. And they let the old man stay because he was the father of 3 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 living. To get access to land, they can join: • The wife’s lineage • The husband’s lineage • Wife’s father’s lineage • Husband’s father’s lineage

Other factors include • Kids should grow up with their siblings—their lineage mates • The husband has responsibilities in his own lineage-especially to his sister’s kids--the kids of his own lineage--so he can’t be too far away

First choice is wife’s lineage place • But if they don’t have enough land • Or it’s too far from the husband’s family, • The Husband’s lineage place • And if neither has land • Her father’s lineage place • Or his father’s lineage place

Goodenough’s conclusion Residence rules are not an etic grid like genealogical diagrams or color chips or the international phonetic alphabet

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

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

For instance… not everyone defines cousins, brothers, sisters, and desirable marriage partners the way the European system does. So we have to understand about matrilineal and patrilineal lineages, marriage exchanges among lineages, and the importance of cross-cousins.

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

We can build all genealogical relationships with just these elements: