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Unit 5: Kinship

visits, reciprocal support in personal emergencies, and regular communication strengthen their Notes
relations with each other. Mother’s brother has many obligations to perform for his neices and nephews
on different occasions. The feminal kinsmen, broadly speaking, are more concerned with the individual
and his problems as a person than as a member of a group. It may, therefore, be said that feminal
relationships help to integrate each person and each village into a social network of villages that
affect many aspects of village life. William Rowe (1960) also found in his study of a village near
Banaras (present Varanasi) in Uttar Pradesh in 1959 that the feminal kin exchange labour, borrow
farm equipment, animals and cash from each other. When a person gets in trouble in his home village,
he flees for refuge to his mother’s brother’s or to his wife’s brother’s village. Cohn (1955: 57-58) also
found in his village study that feminal kin cherish kinship ties in many ways.
5.3 Features of Kinship

Features of Kinship in North and Central India
Iravati Karve discussed the kinship features of Indian society in 1930s, 1940s and 1950s by dividing
the country in four zones—northern, southern, central and eastern—on the basis of differences in
languages spoken, that is, Sanskrit, Indo-Aryan languages (spoken in northern and central zones),
Dravidian languages (spoken in southern zone) and Austric or Mundari languages (spoken in eastern
zone). The difference between the northern and the central zones was made in terms of plain and
hilly regions. In terms of present reorganized states, the northern zone consisted of eight states (Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Punjab, Haryana, Kashmir, and Meghalaya), the central zone
consisted of six states (Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and
Orissa), the southern zone consisted of four states (Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu), and the eastern zone consisted of two states (Nagaland, Mizoram) and parts of Bihar, Bengal,
Assam and Orissa.
Though kinship behaviour in the northern zone changes slightly from region to region and within
each region from caste to caste, yet the comparative study shows that it is possible to talk of an ‘ideal’
northern pattern referring to the practices and attitudes found mostly common among a majority of
the castes.
The important features of kinship organization of the northern zone are: (1) Kins junior to Ego (person
under reference) are addressed by their personal names and senior to Ego by the kinship term. (2) All
children in ascending and descending generations are equated with one’s own sibling group (brothers
and sisters) and all children of one’s sibling group are again equated with one’s own children. (3) The
principle of unity of generations is observed (for example great-grandfather and grandfather are
given same respect as father). (4) Within the same generation, the older and the younger kin are kept
distinct. (5) The duties and behaviour patterns of the members of three generations are strictly
regulated. (6) Some of the ancient kinship terms having Sanskrit origin have been replaced by new
terms; for example pitamaha is replaced by pita. Suffix ‘ji’ is added to kinship terms used for kin older
than the speaker (for example chachaji, tauji, etc.). In Bengal, instead of ‘ji’, suffix ‘moshai’ is added.
(7) Marriage among close kin is not permitted. (8) After the marriage, a girl is not expected to be free
with her parents-in-law, but when she becomes a mother, she achieves the position of respect and
power and restrictions on her are lessened. (9) The family is so structured that children, parents and
grand-parents either live together or social kinship obligations toward them are clearly met. (10)
Apart from the joint family which represents a person’s intimate and nearest circle of relations, there
is always a larger circle of kin who play a part in his life. This kindred represents the circle of his
patri-kin or matri-kin who may stand by him and help him when the immediate family no longer
suffices.
The salient features of kinship organization of Central India are not much different from those of
North India. The important features of kinship in Central India are: (1) Every region follows northern
practices of marriage, that is, consanguinity is the main consideration which rules marriage. (2) Many
castes are divided into exogamous clans. Among some castes, the exogamous clans are arranged in
hypergamous hierarchy. (3) The kinship terminology shows intimacy and closeness between various
kins. The relations between kins are governed by the custom of “neota-gifts”, according to which

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