KINSHIP IN INDIA

 

KINSHIP IN INDIA

 

Every individual has relationship with other people around them, this is the basic system that takes place in all human societies.

It organizes people and groups and therefore it is known as kinship.

Every kinship system is significantly a cultural system. It tends to vary from society to society.

India is a land of immense diversity, its different regions reflect different systems of kinship.

Kinship in India can be seen in families and outside families. Primary relatives focus in kinship within family also known as family of procreation.

In India caste endogamy and clan exogamy are important aspect of kin structure.

APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF KINSHIP SYSTEM IN INDIA

Sociological studies of kinship in India cover descriptions, comparisons and analytical problems based on the findings from various regions. Approaches to the study of kinship in India can be classified in two major categories

 INDOLOGICAL APPROACH

The social institutions of Indian society are rooted in literary and learned traditions, many sociological studies have made use of textual sources for explaining the ideological and jural bases of our institutions.

K.   M. Kapadia has used classical texts to describe Hindu Kinship, Hindu Social organization by P.H. Prabhu is also based on sanskrit texts. Similarly Irawati Karve and G.S. Ghurye extensively worked on Indian kinship system. Both used textual sources to explain kinship patterns in different regions of India from a socio-historical perspective

ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACH

Anthropologists have looked at kinship systems from the point of view of descent and alliance.

 DESCENT APPROACH

Kinship in Indian society is used for establishing clear cut corporate social units. Such cooperating local groups are always larger than elementary families of spouses and their children. When these groups are recognized or defined on the basis of shared descent anthropologist call them descent groups.

In India we generally find the patrilineal and matrilineal descent system, of the two patrilineal descent system is more common. Kin relationship in a descent groups gives us a comprehensive sociological understanding of certain types of kinship system in India. For example K. Gough has discussed the unity of of the lineage with corporate rights of land. T.N. Madan has studied the role of kinship as an orgainising principle in Kashmiri Brahman community. A.C. Mayer, Oscar Lewis have also used descent approach while studying kinship system in Northern India

 ALLIANCE APPROACH:

Another approach that prominently used in the study of kinship system in India is alliance. Kinship includes the consideration of the patterns and rules of marriage. Many studies of kinship in India have focused on marriage as an alliance between two groups and on kinship terminology, as a reflection of the nature of alliance. Because of their concentration on relationships arising out of marriage, it is said that these studies follow the alliance approach. L. Dumont has made an important contribution to our understanding of kinship system in India in general and of south India in particular.

KINSHIP ORGANIZATION IN INDIA (IRAWATI KARVE)

Irawati Karve undertakes a comparative analysis of four cultural zones. Karve’s comparative study takes the following points into consideration:

Kinship in terms of India languages

Behaviour and attitude in context of language

Rules of descent and inheritance

Marriage and family patterns

Comparative study of Sanskritic North and Dravidian South

 KINSHIP IN NORTH INDIA

 

Linguistic features: Punjabi, Hindi, Sindhi, Assami, Bihar, Bengali and Nepali

 

Caste endogamy, clan exogamy, village exogamy and taboos related to sexual relations between primary relations are practiced.

The rule of Sasan is key to all marriage alliances that a person must not marry in his patri-family and must avoid marriage with Sapinda kin.

Features of Northern kinship:

Territoriality

Taboos

Geneology

Exogamy

Endogamy gets restricted when caste is a concern. Marriage on large scale of area gets blocked four gotra rule (Sasan) that is avoidance of the gotras of father, mother, grandmother and maternal grandmother, generally practiced among Brahmans and upper castes.

Some intermediate and most of the lower castes practice two gotra rule namely father and mother.

 KINSHIP IN CENTRAL INDIA

Linguistic regions: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Kathiawad, Maharashtra and Odisha.

 Languages: Rajasthani, Hindi, Gujarati and Kathiawadi, Marathi and Odiya (all of sanskritic origin)

Due to sanskritic origin of languages they have affinity to Northern zone but there are pockets of Dravidian languages in this zone.

 Some impact of Eastern zone.

Tribal people have their unique and somewhat different situation compared to other people in the region.

Cross cousin marriages are prevalent which are not witnessed in north.

 Like north many castes are divided into exogamous clans.

Some castes exogamous clans are arranged in a hypergamous hierarchy. But none of these features are found all over the zone.

 Rajastan: Jats follow two gotra exogamy and village exogamy

Ø  Bania practice four gotra rule

Ø  Rajputs: hypergamous clans- feudal status is important in consideration of marriage.

Ø  Rajputs are not homogenous caste, puts lots of emphasis on purity and nobility of descent.

Ø  Symbolic marriages (marriage with sword) were quite in practice.

Ø  Status of mother on either side is also a factor in marital ties.

Kathiawad and Gujarat: mix peculiar local customs and practices.

Ø  Some allow cross cousin marriages.

Ø  The practice of Nantra (Levirate) exists even today.

Ø  Brahmans, Banias, Kunbis and higher artisan castes follow the northern pattern of kinship system but some southern practices are also observed.

Ø  Kathi, Ahir, Ghadava, Charan and Garassia practice cross cousin marriages.

Ø  Rajasthan and Gujarat largely follow northern pattern.

Ø  Karve observes that Maharashtra hold a balance with Sanskritic northern traits and the Dravidian southern traits.

Maharasthra: kinship structure is a little different from both southern and northern zone

Ø  Marathas and Kunbis consists 40% of total population

Ø  Marathas (higher caste) and Kunbis (richer caste) both call themselves Kshatriya.

Ø  Kunbis divided into exogamous clans, some practice LEVIRATE while other prohibits.

Ø  In central Maharashtra : Hypergamy and clan exogamy exists

Ø  Southern Maharastra:  cross cousin and uncle niece marriages are prevalent.

Ø  Parallel cousin marriages are not allowed.

Ø  Taboo on paternal cross cousin marriage.

Odisha: tribal like Gonds, Oraons and Konds speak Dravidian languages and their kinship system can be equated with the Dravidians.

Ø  The Oriya speaking people have some caste divisions as in North.

Ø  Brahmans in Odisha seems to be immigrants from U.P., Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

Ø  Brahmans and Karnas (Kayasthas) not allow cross cousin marriages

Ø  Some agricultural castes practice cross cousin marriages.

Ø  Junior levirate practiced among some poorer sections.

 SOUTHERN KINSHIP PATTERN

 Regions: Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Kerala and mixed languages regions.

 Ø  Complicated kinship pattern and family organization

Ø  Patrilocal and patrilineal system dominates

Ø  Some sections have matrilineage and matrilocal system: Nayars, Tiyans, Bants and some Moplas in Malabar region.

Ø  It is called Tharavad: consists of a woman, her brothers and sisters, her own and sister’s children.

Ø  No affinal relations are part of Tharavad

Ø  Some consanguines are also excluded (children male members)

Ø  No husband-wife and father-children relationships are present in Tharavad.

Ø  In Southern zone caste endogamy and clan exogamy practiced similar to north.

Preferential marriages with:       Elder sister’s daughter

Father’s sister’s daughter

Mother’s brother’s daughter (To maintain        unity and     solidarity of the clan)

Upholding the principle of return (exchange the daughters in same generation)

Taboos:     Marrying younger sister’s daughter

Levirate

Mother’s sister’s daughter

Ø  Maternal uncle and niece marriages results in double relationships.

Ø  No distinction between family of orientation and family of procreation

Ø  No words for brother and sister in Dravidian language

Ø  However there are words for younger and older brothers and sisters.

 KINSHIP IN EASTERN INDIA

 Ø  Eastern zone is not compact and geographically it is not contiguous like other zones.

Ø  Besides northern languages Mundari and Monkhmer are also spoken.

Ø  Main communities: Kroku, Assamese, Saka, Semang, and Khasi.

Ø  Mundari speakers have patrilineal and patrilocal families.

Ø  Ho and Santhal practice cross cousin marriage but till Father’s sister and Mother’s brother alive they cannot marry their daughter’s which makes cross cousin marriage a rare phenomena.

Ø  Divided into exogamous totemese groups/clan

Ø  Bride price is quite common

Ø  Mundari’s not having joint family system.

Ø  Khasi: Monkhmer speakers practice matrilineage but differ from Nayars.

Ø  Khasis have joint family with common worship and common graveyard but husband and wife live together in a small house of their own.

Ø  Practice ULTIMOGENITURE (inheritor of property is younger daughter)

Ø  Cross cousin marriages are quite rare.

Ø  No parallel cousin marriage among Khasis.