Page 71 - DSOC402_SOCIOLOGY_OF_KINSHIP_ENGLISH

Unit 10: Kinship as an Organising Principle: Descent Groups Corporate Groups and Local Groups

system of the Indian society, gives place as relatives, to those individuals only who are linked Notes
by kinship and behaviour.
Our society moves beyond family and reaches village, not any further. The definite features
of such a narrow society and the rights and duties of people of that community and village.
Naturally, this creates a strong and close sense of bonding amongst the members of the village.
On the other hand, the Western society is stretched beyond family and village. Thus, the
informal relations turn into formal, and that naturally. Creates a drift between cognates and
close relatives.
Keeping in view that cultural diversity prevalent in the whole of India, we cannot talk of a
common kinship. Different rules and behaviour are prevalent in various regions. Based on
the diversity in colloquial languages, Erawati Karve has divided the country into four parts:
Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern.
This has helped in understanding the prevalent differences in the standards of Kinship. The
Indian Aryan language is spoken in the North, the Austric and Mundari languages in the East
and the Dravidian languages are spoken and written in the South. Thus, it can be said that the
standard of kinship in Central and Eastern India is not different from the North, though there
are minor diversities not only at the regional level but also from place to place. The Southern
region presents a very complicated picture of kinship which is clearly different from North
India. Yet we believe that there are areas of cultural generosity and synthesis. For example, in
Maharashtra, a suitable blend of kinship behaviour of the North and South is found. This blend
is in the form of kinship system, commitment towards caste or community and rules of marriage
etc. Because of the development in modes of communication and transport, such exchange has
taken place in almost the whole of India. But roughly, we can recognise the culture prevalent in
entire India, though it has its own specific identity from place to place.

The difference in kinship standards of the Western and Indian societies is
because of the ideological differences in the social organisations of both the
societies.

10.5 Diversity of Kinship Relations in India

A rural person spends most of his time out side his home (family), in the company of his rela-
tives.
Every family in a village is dependant on relatives in emergency situations, for rites and rituals,
on the occasion of festivities, to work in the fields, for solving conflicts, etc. We may include the
various categories of kin who are similar to them.
Firstly, we may talk of those families who are close on the basis of residence or Patrilineal sys-
tem. Mandelboum has termed such groups as local lineage. These individuals are brothers, who
have set up separate homes where the brother’s sons or nephews live. All such people who live
in these homes, be they wives, adopted children or sons-in-law lining at their wives homes; are
the parts of their respective families despite being from the other Patrilineage.
The families sharing the common lineage, occasionally attend the formed Yajnas (Yagya), spe-
cially the last rites and rituals of the deceased (Shradh). Such united functions help in defining
the boundaries of the group. They unitedly participate in other functions too.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 65