Abstract
Contemporary evolutionary typologies characterize band society largely on the basis of patrilocal residence and/or patrilineal descent patterns. The South American data challenge the adequacy and universal applicability of these models with a high incidence of matriliny and matrilocality and with forms of political integration that extend far beyond the local residential group. Furthermore, when viewed in a diachronic perspective, these hunters and gatherers have undergone a process of simplification from early contact to modern times. Contemporary band societies appear to represent degenerated structures formerly characterized by larger population concentrations, corporate unilineal descent groups, and heterogeneous political communities.
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