Introduction: Kinship in itself is not a group but is one of the strongest basis group formation.
The well-known names of several unilateral kinship groups are:
(i) family.
(ii) lineage.
(iii) clan.
(iv) phratry. and
(v) moiety.
These kinship groups consist of persons who are genealogically related to each other through descent or martial ties.
The feeling that 'blood is thicker than water' binds the kinsmen to each other in several kin groups which may be close knit and small like family and lineage or may be loosely knit like clan, phratry and moiety.
We will discuss these groups one by one:
(i) Family: It is the smallest kinship group. It is basically made up of a man, his wife and their unmarried children. While the man and wife are related through marriage, the children and parents are related to each other through descent or blood ties. The children are related to each other through the kinship link of siblingship and common descent i.e. blood tie.
Some of the important (other) groups based on principles of unilateral descent are as follows:
(ii) Lineage: Family is bilateral but lineage is a unilateral descent group. It consists of all the consanguineal blood relatives who claim their descent from a known common ancestor or ancestors who existed in reality in the known past. The ancestor is not a myth as is the case with a clan. Lineage is an exogamous group. It is a unilateral descent group, it implies that a lineage includes all such family members who belong to the father's line alone. If the ancestor is a male figure, then the lineage is called patrilineage. The descent is raced in the male live from father to son. If the lineage is traced from a female figure, it is called matrilineage. Lineage members of a matrilineal group trace their relationship to each other through the mother.
(iii) Clan: A clan is also a unilateral descent group. It includes a set of kins whose members believe themselves to be descended from a common ancestor, but the actual genealogical link may not be demonstrated. The common ancestor is often a mythical figure such as a saint or a Rishi in the case of Hindu society. It may also be a supernatural character or a totemic object such as a tiger, fish and snake etc.
Among the Hindus, the common descent is. traced from some sages such as Kashyap, Bhardwaj, Gautam etc. In fact, the common ancestor of the kinsmen is most often an unknown figure or object in the far off antiquity.
The members of a clan consider themselves to be blood relatives of each other as they believe in common descent or blood tie. Hence, most often the members of a clan do not marry each other. In other words, the clan is an exogamous kinship group.
The clan is patrilineal when the descent is traced through male lines. If the descent is traced through the female line, it is called matrilineal clan, as found among Khasi or Garo of North-east India.
The clan is also known as 'Gotra' in Hindi. The clan grouping is mainly taken into account while initiating marriage negotiations. Marriage is negotiated only with those who do not belong to one's own clan.
(iv) Phratry: A phratry is a unilateral descent group composed of two or more clans which are supposedly interrelated.
Like the clan, the pantry organization is also exogamous. The members of the phratry organization believe that they have a common ancestor.
The clan constituting a phratry may retain their individual identities. But, they fulfil special obligations on ceremonial occasions.
(v) Moiety: Moiety is a large social group that results from the splitting of a society into two equal or unequal halves on the basis of descent. Each half thus formed is called a moiety.
The members of moiety have a belief in a common ancestor which may or may not be actually traceable.
Each moiety is again sub-divided into a number of phratries. Each phratry is split up into a number of clans and each clan into a number of lineages and finally, each lineage into a number of families.
The Aimol Kuku tribe of Manipur has a set of moieties which are further divided into phratries and so on.
