Terms Relevant to the Study of the Family

Part A:
Prepare a glossary of the following terms in your notebook as a reference throughout the course

nuclear family cohabiting/common egalitarian polygyny bilineal

extended family law kinship exogamy polyandry patrilocal
blended family matriarchal endogamy group matrilocal
lone parent/single patriarchal monogamy marriage neolocal
parent polygamy patrilineal caste
matrilineal

Part B: Applying Terms to Various Families

Instructions:
1. Read the case studies of various fictitious societies to determine the type of family structure,
form and kinship ties that each society practises.

Society # 1 – The Beacon Tribe

Within this society, the husband is married to several wives. Each wife and her unmarried
offspring live in separate dwellings. These dwellings are close in proximity to one another
yet are maintained separately by each wife. The children describe their lineage as being part
of their father’s family because they are related only to their father’s clan members. Each
wife is responsible for making decisions about the welfare of her children and for managing
economic resources.

Society # 2 – The Falcon Tribe

The members of this tribe keep close ties with their blood relatives. The wives in this society
marry at least two husbands. Once a woman marries a man, he comes to live with her
parents, her siblings, and other relatives of her clan. The children from each relationship have
obligations to their mother’s clan even after they marry into another clan. Once a man
marries into another clan he must perform duties for his wife’s family as well as his mother’s
family. Any economic decisions to be made, such as the division of crops or land is made by
the elder men in the village. They may often consult their sons in their decisions.

Society # 3 – The Canus Tribe

The people of the Canus tribe live primarily in their own dwellings. The household consists
of a husband, wife, and their unmarried children. Divorce is legal in this society; therefore,
children may live with only one parent. The parents do not remarry in the Canus tribe.
Household duties, child rearing and other domestic tasks are divided equally between the
husband and wife. The offspring of the couple take both the mother’s family and the father’s
family name
.
2. Complete the chart below using the terminology that you have defined in Part A.
Family Type of Place of Descent
Society Authority
Structure/Unit Marriage Residence Line
Beacon Nuclear Polygamy/ Neolocal Patrilineal Matriarchy
Tribe polygyny
Falcon Extended Polygamy/ Matrilocal Matrilineal Patriarchy
Tribe polyandry
Canus Single parent or Monogamy/ Neolocal Bilineal Egalitarian
Tribe Nuclear Monogamous