verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
Print
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
lineage, descent group reckoned through only one parent, either the father (patrilineage) or the mother (matrilineage). All members of a lineage trace their common ancestry to a single person. A lineage may comprise any number of generations but commonly is traced through some 5 or 10.
Notionally, lineages are exclusive in their membership. In practice, however, many cultures have methods for bestowing lineage membership on individuals who are not genetically related to the lineage progenitor. The most common of these is adoption, although other forms of fictive kinship are also used. Lineages are normally corporate, meaning that their members exercise rights in common and are subject to obligations collectively.
More From Britannica
consanguinity: Lineal and collateral kin
Lineage structure may be regarded as a branching process, as when two or three founders of small lineages are represented as brothers or sisters. The groups thus constitute a single larger lineage in which the smaller groups are segments. This structure may lend stability to a society; the lineages are considered permanent groups and thus perpetuate concomitant political and religious relationships over time. In societies lacking central political authority, territorial groups often organize themselves around lineages; as these are usually exogamous, or out-marrying, marriage becomes a means of bringing together otherwise unrelated groups.
FAQs
In all societies, kinship and descent are two different notions: Kinship is a social relationship that may or may not coincide with a biological one; descent is a social convention that may require a biological relationship.
What is the difference between lineage and kinship? ›
Answer and Explanation:
The difference is that kinship is when a person is connected to you by blood, lineage, or marriage. In contrast, lineage is a relationship based on a common progeny, race, or the ascending line of parentage. Kinship, therefore, considers a relationship that is both nonbiological and biological.
What is an example of lineage kinship? ›
Ancestry can be traced in a line (linearly) through the reproductive lineage from the great grandparents. Another example of lineal kinship could be seen by observing the father's sister (FaSi) through his children, labeled cross cousins, or through his parents (not shown on the table).
How does lineage show kinship? ›
In human society, a family and kinship are formed by marriage and descent. In indigenous societies, families sharing a common ancestor are called a lineage. Lineages form a socially related group, called a clan, in which common culture is shared (1–3).
What are the 4 principles of kinship? ›
In many societies where kinship connections are important, there are rules, though they may be expressed or be taken for granted. There are four main headings that anthropologists use to categorize rules of descent. They are bilateral, unilineal, ambilineal and double descent.
What are the three important rules of descent? ›
There are three types of unilateral descent: patrilineal, which follows the father's line only; matrilineal, which follows the mother's side only; and ambilineal, which follows either the father's only or the mother's side only, depending on the situation.
What is an example of lineage and descent? ›
Sons and daughters, for example, can trace their lineage from their fathers. Both sons and daughters of sons will be a part of the grandfather's group, but the daughter's children would be of her husband's descent group.
What is an example of a lineage? ›
The word lineage is used to describe everyone who descends from a particular ancestor. Mozart had six children, but none of them had children of their own, so the composer's lineage ended after one generation.
Why is kinship and lineage important? ›
It allows individuals to understand their lineage, family history, and cultural heritage. Kinship contributes to the formation of social identity and a sense of belonging. It helps individuals define their roles within the family and wider society.
What is a real life example of kinship? ›
' So, where family is the actual group of people, kinship is the relationship between family members. Mothers and daughters, uncles and nephews, sisters and cousins are all examples of kinships.
Unilineal Descent. In the ethnographic record, unilineal (“one line”) descent is the most common principle underlying larger kin group formation.
Why are lineages important? ›
The importance of lineage generally is you get an idea of who your ancestors were, what they did, and where and the times they lived. From this you get another layer of background of knowledge about your tendencies based on theirs.
What is kinship and descent? ›
A kinship group created through the maternal line (mothers and their children). Definition: unilineal. Descent is recognized through only one line or side of the family. Definition: bilateral. Descent is recognized through both the father and the mother's sides of the family.
What are the rules of kinship? ›
There are a number of different and unique rules that guide kinship. In some societies, it's common for members of the opposite sex to avoid each other. For example, in cultures where premarital sex is prohibited, men and women might be expected to keep their distance from one another until marriage.
What role do lineages play in descent? ›
Lineage and descent are important concepts in sociology that help us understand the ways in which families and communities are organized. Lineage refers to the direct line of descent from a common ancestor, while descent refers to the way in which people trace their ancestry through different generations.
What is kinship all about summary? ›
Kinship is the broad term for all the relationships that people are born into or create later in life that are considered binding in the eyes of society.
What is kinship and why is it important? ›
It establishes relationships and bonds between individuals and groups. Kinship ties contribute to the structure and cohesion of social units, such as families, clans, or tribes. Kinship helps maintain unity, harmony, and cooperation among individuals and groups.
What is the meaning of kinship in a story? ›
Kinship is about relationships shared through ancestral ties; in other words, people may not know each other but still be kin. A family is formed when people are connected through ancestry, marriage, or adoption, and experience life together.
How do you explain kinship terms? ›
kinship terminology, in anthropology, the system of names applied to categories of kin standing in relationship to one another. The possibilities for such nomenclature would seem limitless, but anthropologists have identified a small number of basic systems that are found in all world societies.