Avunculocality and Incest: The Development of Unilateral Cross-Cousin Marriage and Crow-Omaha Kinship Systems

Abstract

IN THIS paper1 we present a theory of the development of kinship systems2 and unilateral cross-cousin marriage. This theory builds upon the important contribution recently made by Lane and Lane (1959: 25465) concerning kinship systems and departs radically from the theory of unilateral cross-cousin presented by Homans and Schneider (1955). In this presentation we presuppose much of the analysis of kinship organization given by Murdock in his Social Structure (1949). Throughout this paper we shall test theoretical statements against the massive amount of data presented in Murdock's World Ethnographic Sample (1957:664-87).3 It has long been known (Lowie 1917:151-52) that kinship systems are associated with matrilineal and patrilineal descent respectively. Homans and Schneider (1955:34-35) have shown, and Murdock (1957:687) has confirmed, that patrilateral cross-cousin (PCCM) and matrilateral cross-cousin (MCCM)4 are associated with matrilineal and patrilineal descent groups respectively. Recently, Lane and Lane (1959:257-58) have noted that rules affect the alignment of kin types in kin groups and, more importantly, have claimed that MCCM produces the correct alignment for terminologies in matrilineal and patrilineal societies respectively.5 Since they accept the view, strongly confirmed by Murdock (1949:113-83), that common kin-group membership is a major factor in common kinship classification, they are led to suggest that: Crow-Omaha systems of terminology may be associated not only with matrilineal and patrilineal sibs respectively, but also with matrilateral cross-cousin marriage (1959:258).