Describe the features of the kinship system of North India.
Answers
Gotra exogamy: One must not marry into his father's, his mother's and his father's mother's gotra. In orthodox societies, marriage into one's mother's mother's gotra is also a taboo.
Spatial and geographical limits of endogamy and exogamy: If a daughter is given into a certain family of a certain village, a second daughter is generally not given into the same family or village in that generation and not in the next two generations at least.
Marriages are customarily arranged - partners are chosen from within the caste (endogamy)
Hypergamy - Women tend to marry slightly upwards in the status hierarchy
Marriage of cousins viewed with great disfavour
Local exogamy, even if they are of different gotras
Rules of marriage:- must not marry in his patri-clan - must avoid marriage with children of his mother's siblings and cousins - must avoid marriage with children of his F'Zs children and with the children of his F's female cousins
Avoid marriage with Sapinda - 5 generations in the male line (Agnatic) and 3 generations in the female line (Uterine)
Asymmetrical relationship between wife-givers and wife-takers
Early marriage of girls and boys
Gauna ceremony
Separate rules of conduct for daughters and brides
Leviratic unions
Answer:
Lineage as well as clan are exogamous units. Kinship system further operates within the families of the caste groups living in the same village. Caste members cooperate with each other and marry amongst themselves. ... The kinship terminology used in North India is description by nature.