Introduction:
Kin behavior refers to the kind of relationships that are existing and/or stipulated between relatives, the family forms the basis for certain primary relationships. The relationships established in the family group are affected by generation, relative age, and by similarities or differences of sex. Those members of the parental generation who are in a position of respect authority are entitled to obedience and respect; others may share an intimacy without super or sub-ordination. Mutual affection, loyalty and support are expected of brothers and sisters, although often there are restrictions on behavior between brother and sister after puberty.
Kinship usage is a repetitive behavior and regular, It is standardized behavior and it confirms a pattern, It is an established recurrent action.
The patterns of behavior and usages that prevail between relatives define their relationships and as such as an integral part of the kinship system. Kinship usages are as follows:-
1. Avoidance:
Definition:
Avoidance is a kinship usage that implies “formality” such as restriction on intimacy and spontaneous expression of emotion, demonstrates moderate reserve or marked restraint.
Relatives involved in avoidance:
- Avoidance occurs between men and women and vice versa.
- Avoidance relationships are mostly three: Brothers avoids Sister; a Man avoids Mo-in-law; and a Man avoids his Da-in-law.
- If a society has one avoidance relationship, it usually has the other two types of avoidance relationship.
Customs of avoidance:
The customs of avoidance are numerous. For example among the Baganda of Africa, a man, and his Mo-in-law observe several rules of avoidance. For example:
- They can’t touch each other
- They can’t look eye-to-eye
- They can’t eat together
- They can’t convers alone
- They can’t eat each other’s leaving
Origins of avoidance:
1.Tylor , E.B.:
- According to Tylor, avoidance exists because it originated in the rule of matrilocal residence in the early period of human history.
- In early stages of human history when sons-in-law went to live with their wives, they were obliged to be on restricted relatives with their mothers-in-law, who represented the matriarchal family in which they found themselves as complete strangers and in Subservient position.
- Thus, Tylor related son-in-law and mother-in-law avoidance casually to matrilocal residence.
2.Frazer. Sir George James:
- According to Frazer, avoidance exists because it serves the purpose of preventing such sexual intimacy as would amount to incest.
- Frazer says that the purpose of avoidance is to prevent sexual intimacy.
- Among the Trobrianders, if a Br happens to see his sister being wooed by a man, or she making love to him, all the three will have to commit suicide. Each other, the possibilities of cooperation as well as conflictare always equally present. But there are certain kinds of kinship where hostility is regarded as against social norms. The best way to prevent such hostility from becoming manifest is to put restrictions on the growth of intimacy; and hence the kinship usage of avoidance occurs.
3.Freud , Sigmond:
- According to Freud, avoidance exists because it helps prevention of any error on the part of an individual in adult life in the observance of the norms of sexual conduct. Freud observes that sexual attraction exists. Avoidance prevents the scope of sexual intimacy.
4.Lowie, Robert Harry:
- According to Lowie avoidance exists because it prevents the spouses from making cultural inroads into their respective in-laws families.
- He says that a daughter-in-law represents an alien with perhaps a different set of social , cultural and moral values.
As an individual, her husband is bound to be influenced by her but the rest of the family must be saved. Hence, the avoidance between her and her parents-in-law. Likewise, the son-in-law must be prevented from making cultural inroads into his wife’s family. This can be achieved by avoidance.
5.Turney – High:
According to Turney – High, avoidance is a mechanism to preserve peace in the family.
- A woman’s loyalty is to her husband. If she is loyal to in-laws, the authority of the parents-in-law might collude with that of the husband. This would subject the wife to severe strain and impair the parents-son relationship , to prevent such social strains, the daughter-in-law and parents-in-law observe avoidance.
6.R.C Brown
- According to Brown, avoidance is a mechanism for restricting the growth of intimacy and for suppressing the hostility, in Brown’s words avoidance is a social fact and therefore it must be explained socially. Thus, whenever people come into contact with
7.Chappie, George & Coon. Carleton:
- According to Chappie and Coon, avoidance is the best mechanism to keep the interaction rate between individuals at optimum levels,
- There is necessity to keep the interaction rate low between some individuals who would upset the social structure if this rate is increased
2. Joking:
Definition:
- Joking is kinship behaviour that involves informality and familiarity in the behaviour of relatives.
- it is the reverse of avoidance relationships.
Persons involved in joking:
The persons involved in joking are:
- Grandparents and grandchildren;
- A Man and His wife’s yr si;
- A Woman and Her Hu yr er; and
- A Man and his maternal uncle (Hopi, Trobriand)
Characteristics:
- Joking occurs between like sex or cross sex
- It indicates equality, inequality and reciprocity, privileged familiarity or extremelicence
- It may be symmetrical or asymmetrical.
Related customs:
Joking may be expressed in different ways:
- Exchange of abuse and banter, obscene and vulgar reference to sex, damage of each other’s property, ridicule and so on
- Tarahumara of Northern Mexico joke in terms of roughhousing, genital snatching, other sorts of sexual horseplay.
Origins of Joking relationship:
Radcliffe Brown, A.R.:
- Brown regards joking as a kind of friendliness.
- It may be a kind of freedom expressed by a show of hostility. Exchange of abuse and even beating each other is a best shown hostility.
Chappie. George and Coon Calverton S.:
- Chappie and Coon regarded joking as a mechanism for stimulating higher rate of social interaction between individuals.
- Therefore joking occurs among certain categories of relatives.
3. Teknonymy:
- The custom of naming a parent after his or her child such as “Fa/Mo of so-and-so’ is teknonymy.
- What is the origin of teknonymy?
Tylor. E.B.:
- Tylor regarded it as a relic of the former supremacy of women, who never accepted the son-in-law as one of them in their residence and recognized a secondary relationship with him . Through the children he helped to bring to life.
- Through extension, a mother may likewise be referred to teknonymously.
4. Avunculate:
Avunculate is kinship behaviour in which:
- Maternal uncle enjoys a pre-eminent position in the “life and affection of his nephews and nieces as a matter of convention
Where it exists?
- Avunculate is common among the matrilineal peoples.
- Avunculate among the patrilineal societies also exists ,
Characteristics:
- He has special obligations towards them which exceed those of his father.
- He has prior right over their loyalties.
- He transmits his property to his nephew.
- His nephew works for him rather than for his own father.
- Thus if the maternal uncle comes first among all male relatives, then this kinship usage is designated as avunculate and the maternal uncle’ s authority as avuncupotestality.
- If nephews and nieces are brought up in their maternal uncle’s family the condition is referred to as avunculocal residence.
5. Amitate:
- Definition: The special role of one’s father in one’s life is designated as amitate ,mostly in matrilineal socities.
Occurrence:
- Amitate may be easily explainable in a patrilineal society.
- It may also be explained in the context of a matrilineal Society as Trobriand islanders.
Origins:
Chappie and Coon:
- Amitate in a patrilineal society may be the outcome of an obvious emphasis on one particular group of relatives.
- The emphasis on particular group of relatives expressed through avuncualte in patrilineal society and amitate in a matrilineal society may be the social mechanisms for preventing certain kinship bonds from falling into neglect .
- These usages are the way to keep up the rate of interaction between such kin among whom it may fall low due to their belonging to such groups which are not taken into account while reckoning descent
6 – Couvade:
Definition:
- The practice of making a husband lead the life of an invalid along with his wife whenever she gives birth to a child is called Couvade.
- Ex: Khasi of Meghalaya.
Reasons:
- According to Malinowski, couvade is a cementing bond of married life.
- It is a social mechanism designed to secure paternal affection
- According to Raglan, it is an irrational belief which may be existing prior to marriage
- It may be a contributory cause of the emergence of marriage as an institution.