Compare and contrast Types of kinship systems in North India and South India.
According to Murdock, “It is a structured system of relationship in which individuals are bound to one another by complex interlocking and ramifying ties”. Radcliffe-Brown says that Kinship system is a part of social structure and insists upon the study of kinship as a field of rights and obligations.
Types of kinship systems
Primary kins: Every individual who belong to a nuclear family finds his primary kins within the family.
Secondary kins: Outside the nuclear family the individual can have 33 types of secondary relatives. For example mother’s brother, brother’s wife, sister’s husband, father’s brother.
Tertiary kins: Tertiary kins refer to the secondary kins of our primary kins. For example wife’s brother’s son, sister’s husband’s brother and so on. There are 151 types of tertiary kins
Kinship in North and South India
North Indian kinship systems
This kinship system is present in Hindi speaking belt and also in areas where Aryan culture influence is substantive. It includes West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar. In case of North India kinship system, the terminology used for father’s brother is not used for mother’s brother, therefore Patrikins are distinguished from Matrikins. Within Patrilineal system father’s brother are distinguished from father’s sister therefore differential terminologies are used. Father’s brothers are also distinguished in terms of age and so deferential respect is attribute to them.
In North India kinship systems, large body of people are excluded from alliance relationship. One is not supposed to receive a woman from a group to which women is offered within 5 to 7 generations. In addition to that one cannot receive women from his mother’s group or mother’s mother group, father’s mother group and from within his own village. Hence exogamy is quite exhaustive and marriage involves not intra-family ties but inter-village ties. Residential system is very Virilocal (bride lives with husband’s father’s group) type and marriage involves a series of presentational obligations.
In North Indian kinship father – son relationship precedes over husband – wife relationship.
South Indian kinship systems
In southern India kinship systems, no distinction is made between patrilineal or matrilineal, therefore father’s brother is equated with mother’s sister’s husband and both their children being parallel cousins so no marriage is allowed between them. To its contrast father’s sister’s group is equated with mother’s brother’s group, hence mother’s brother is equivalent to father’s sister’s husband.
In South India father is equated with elder brother, mother is equated with elder sister, daughter is equated with younger sister and son is equated with younger brother and subsequently/correspondingly terminologies are adjusted. These terminologies speak about love for younger, respect for elders cutting across generational principles.
In case of South India cross cousin’s marriage take place and so exogamy is not exhaustive like in North India. The relationship between husband and wife is not subdued to father – son relationship as in case of North India. Hostility of relationship between the in laws driven by suspicion is also weak in South India.
Some more facts
Levirate practiced in north INDIA only.
Practice of polyandry by various tribes in north India such as Todas etc.
Similarities
- Caste and clan are important factors in both the systems.
- Both follow the concept of purity and pollution.
- Single decent system in both.