Kinship and non-kin groups

The next domain of culture is kinship, and the ninth chapter approaches the subject of kinship through Marshall Sahlins’ influential notion of the “mutuality of being”—the ways in which humans participate in each other's existence. The chapter argues that kinship, most basically marriage and parenting, are among the means of creating individuals and groups that are related through some combination of physical, cultural, and spiritual sharing. The exploration of kinship-based groups begins with three fundamental practices or concepts—marriage, residence, and descent—which are displayed in their cultural diversity. This further raises the issue of kinship terminologies, or how societies organize and label kin relationships. But the chapter also notes that other relations besides husband/wife and parent/child may be of prime importance in a society, like brother/sister bonds on many Pacific Islands. Developing the point that kinship is just one form of mutuality of being, the chapter then turns to non-kinship-based categories and groups, such as sex/gender groups, age groups, and friendships.