THE PRINCIPLE OF SENIORITY IN THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE YORUBA

Abstract

THE PRINCIPLE OF SENIORITY IN THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE YORUBA By WILLIAM R. BASCOM HIS paper, Classificatory Systems of Relationship,l Kroeber outlined eight factors which frequently serve as the basis for distinctions between kinship terms. These principles or categories were: the distinction between consanguinal and affinal relatives, between lineal and collateral relatives, between relatives of different generations, the factors of relative age within the same generation, the sex of the speaker, the sex of the individual referred to, the sex of the connecting relative, and the condition of the connecting relative (i.e., whether dead or alive). I propose to discuss a factor which does not appear in this list, but which is basic to the kinship system of the Yoruba of Nigeria, West Africa. 2 This factor I have called seniority. The patrilocal dwelling unit known as the compound (agbo iU) is inhabited by three classes of people: 1) the members of the patrilineal sib (id£U) who live together in the same compound and who are known as the children of the house (qmq-(i)U), 2) the wives of the male sib members, who are known as the wives of the house (aya ilt), and 3) the unrelated outsiders (dlejo) who share the same compound through the hospitality of the sib members, regarded as the compound owners. As will be seen from the kinship terms used in reference all inhabitants of a compound except for the outsiders are ranked into a graded series according to their relative seniority, and the kinship terms which ar,e used in addressing relatives either by descent or by marriage must show proper respect for the status of a senior person. Seniority is defined in terms of the length of an indi­ vidual's affiliation-either by marriage or by birth-with the patrilocal kinship group whose members are known as the children of the house. There are two terms of reference applied to siblings which may be translated as senior sibling (I;gb~n) and junior sibling (dburo). The dis­ tinction between these two terms is based upon the order in which the speaker and the person referred to were born. Neither the sex of either the individual or of the speaker, nor the distinction between lineal and collateral descent is significant. Accordingly the term senior sibling is applied to both male and female sib members of the generation of the speaker who are older than the speaker. While it is considered proper by the Yoruba them- (The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Vol. XXXIX, 1909), pp. 77-84. The fieldwork in the Yoruba town of !fe, Nigeria, during 1937-38 upon which this paper is based, was made possible by a fellowship of the SociaiScience Research Council of New York City, under the sponsorship of the Department of Anthropology, Northwestern Univer­ sity. I I IN