Kinship System and Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Kinship System and Culture - Research Paper Example A study on the kinship system of the San reflects that they belonged to a nuclear family comprising of father, mother and children. The kinship connection in relation to both mother and father is important among the San’s. This particular kinship system is referred to as the bilateral kinship system. Because of the bilateral kinship system among the San, there is a presence of relative in every band living nearby.   The San’s are prohibited to marry their second cousins or marrying someone close in relationship to the person. San girls oppose marriage at an early age. The women in the San culture are highly responsible for the gathering of their foods.   Women generally collect fruits, lemons, nuts, while the no vegetarian food is collected by the men.   The San families work together as a group.   The kinship system they had helps them to survive in disasters.   If one family is unable to collect food for a day, they move to other families and take the foods from them. San people live in large number of groups and a group may consist of more than 30 members. The groups are connected by marriage and kinship and help them in providing safety and comfort. During scarcity of food and other needs they move on to other camps and take their help. Marriage between inter band members strengthens the harmony among the groups. The kinship system actually affects the thought process of the San. It is because of their necessity to live in dependence of the group, for which the inter-group marriage has become popular.