Crow kinship facts for kids

Crow kinship is a special way that some groups of people define their family. It helps them understand who is related to whom. This system was first described by a researcher named Lewis Henry Morgan in 1871. The Crow system is one of six main ways families are organized around the world. Other systems include Eskimo, Hawaiian, Iroquois, Omaha, and Sudanese.

How the Crow Kinship System Works

The Crow kinship system is a bit like the Iroquois system. But it has a clear difference between your mother's family and your father's family. Words used for relatives on your mother's side are often more specific. Words for relatives on your father's side are more general.

Unique Features of Crow Kinship

One unique thing about the Crow system is that it doesn't always separate people by their generation. For example, all male relatives on your father's mother's side might be called by the same term, no matter their age. This is different from how we usually think about grandparents, parents, and children.

However, within your own mother's family line, generations are clearly marked. This system is often found in groups where the family line is traced through the mother, which is called matrilineal descent. It's almost the opposite of the Omaha system, where the family line is traced through the father.

Understanding Bifurcate Merging

Like the Iroquois system, the Crow system uses something called "bifurcate merging." This means it separates relatives based on their gender in your direct family group. For example, your father's brother might be called "father's brother." But your mother's brother would be called "uncle." This helps people know exactly how they are related to different family members.

This chart shows how different family members are named in the Crow kinship system.

Where the Crow System is Used

The Crow kinship system gets its name from the Crow people who live in Montana. This way of organizing family is found in many different cultures. In the southwestern United States, it has been a traditional part of the Hopi and Navajo Nation cultures for a long time.

See also

In Spanish: Sistema crow de parentesco para niños