Omaha kinship facts for kids
Omaha kinship is a special way the Omaha people, a Native American tribe, organize their families. It's a system of terms and relationships used to define who is considered family. A researcher named Lewis Henry Morgan first described this system in 1871. It's one of six main kinship systems found around the world, like the Eskimo and Iroquois systems.
How the Omaha Family System Works
The Omaha kinship system is a bit like the Crow system. But here's the main difference: in the Crow system, family lines are traced through the mother's side (this is called matrilineal). In the Omaha system, family lines are traced through the father's side (this is called patrilineal).
In this system, people are grouped based on their family line and whether they are male or female. For example, a person (called 'Ego' in studies like this) would call their father and all their father's brothers by the same name. The same goes for their mother and all their mother's sisters. This helps keep family groups clear.
Just like many other family systems, Omaha kinship tells the difference between two types of cousins:
- Parallel cousins: These are your mother's sister's children or your father's brother's children. In the Omaha system, you would call them the same names you use for your own brothers and sisters.
- Cross-cousins: These are your mother's brother's children or your father's sister's children. The Omaha system places these cousins in different generations. For example, your mother's brother's children might be called by terms usually used for your mother or her brother. Your father's sister's children might be called by terms used for your own children.
The Omaha system also shares some similarities with the Iroquois kinship system. Both systems group certain relatives together in a unique way. However, the Iroquois system is matrilineal, meaning it traces family through the mother's side.
Where the Omaha System is Used
The system is named after the Omaha tribe, who historically lived in what is now Nebraska. But this type of family system isn't just found there! It has also been seen among:
- Some indigenous groups in Mexico.
- The Mapuche people of Chile and Argentina.
- The Dani tribe in Indonesia.
- The Shona people of Zimbabwe.
- The Igbo people of Nigeria.
See also
In Spanish: Sistema omaha de parentesco para niños
- Family
- Kinship and descent
- Anthropology
- List of anthropologists
