Clan

A clan or clan (plural: clans, clans, from Scottish Gaelic clann "Children" ) was originally a family association in Scotland, and later Ireland, who lived in a defined area and appealed to common ancestry and origin ( see Scottish Clan and clan name of Irish families).

In the ethno- sociology and political anthropology Clan refers to a kinship group, which refers to a common ancestor, this descent from an ancestor or an ancestor but can only derive inaccurate or inconsistent ( " fictitious descent" ). In contrast, a Lineage ( " lineage " ) name their line from one ancestor thorough and complete, usually up to ten generations back. A clan can consist of several different lineages, so with the child after the maternal line Iroquois tribes in North America. Each of their large clan was headed by a clan mother, who had an elected chief of Clan women at her side; all clan mothers and chiefs jointly formed the tribal council.

The identity of a clan can also be derived from a common relationship to a totem animal as a group protecting spirit (see totemism ). The rules of marriage in the clan are usually exogamous, the spouse should be looking outside of their own clan. In some North American Indian tribes to more mutually related clans joined together to form a cooperative association, a phratry ( " Brotherhood " ), who worked at festivals or cult of warfare with other phratries.

Research

Older American research literature denoted only the matrilineal clan affiliation on maternal line, while the patrilineal was designated on the line as fathers gene. After the introduction of a unifying concept sip ( clan ) by the American anthropologist Robert H. Lowie ( 1883-1957 ) but continued in the English literature the term communities generally for those kinship groups through which relate to a common ancestor, it can name only contradictory or inaccurate.

A narrower definition of clan goes back to the American anthropologist George P. Murdock (1897-1985): He understood under clan kinship group that lives together in a territory together, the in-laws spouse included, except the wegheiratenden. Depending on the marital residence usually arise because patri - local or matri - local or local - avunku clans (see also Avunkulat: social paternity of the mother side uncle, the uncle ).

Together with lineages, phratries (Association of multiple clans ) and moieties ( lineages ) are Clans superior than unilineal descent groups combined ( " unilinear descent groups ").

Examples

The Scottish clans flourished 1300-1750, today many of the clan names are common (see List of Scottish clans, clan name of Irish families).

Many North American Indian tribes are or have been divided into sub- units, which are called clans. Thus, the Hopi Indians were divided into matrilineal clans, for example. As with the matrilineal Iroquois each set of related clans formed a federation (fachsprachlich phratry, see there other examples ).

In Somalia, the Horn of Africa, the Somali clan system of today also plays a significant role in the culture and politics. Every Somali heard about his paternal lineage ( patrilineal ) a tribe or clan ( Somali reer ), which in turn is part of a larger clan, who belongs to an even broader communities. All clans ultimately include five or six major clan families ( qaabiil ), which is attributed respectively to a common ancestor.

In the medieval society of Japan ( samurai ) are called clans and noble families as clans or clan. Some of them practiced for centuries a monopoly on important offices and government of provinces, such as the Sugawara clan from the 8th century until today, the Omura clan from the 10th century.