Concept of Kinship

Kinship is one of the universals in human society.The organization of kinship is based on the recognition and implementation of relationship derived from descent and marriage.These relationships are constructed and cemented between relatives or kins in an orderly manner.Every individual in every society is a kin and has a kin.Kinship is both involuntary and voluntary.It plays an important role in the socio-cultural life of people of defining kin through its nomenclature or terminology and by regulating interrelationships or behavior.

Primary kin is a person who belongs to the same nuclear family as ego.There are eight primary kin including father,mother,brother,sister in the family of orientation and husband,wife,son,daughter in the family of procreation.

A secondary kin is the primary kin of ego's primary kin.There are potentially 33 kinds of secondary kin: Father's father,father's mother,father's brother,father's sister,father's wife or step mother,father's son or half brother,father's daughter,mother's father,mother's mother,mother's brother,mother's sister,mother's husband,monther's son,mother's daughter,brother's wife,brother's son,brother's daughter,sister's husband,sister's son,sister's daughter,wife's brother,wife's father,wife's mother,wife's sister,wife's son,wife's daughter,son's wife,son's son,son's daughter,daughter's husband,daughter's son and daughter's daughter.

A tertiary kin is the primary kin of a secondary kin.There are 151 possible tertiary kin including eight great grandparents,eight first cousins,the spouses of all uncles,aunts,nephews and nieces and others.

Consanguineal kin is a person who is related through blood ties such as father,mother,brother,sister,son and daughter.

Affinal kin is a person who is related through marriage such as spouse,spouse's parents and spouse's siblings.

A Lineal kin is a person who is related by a direct line of descent such as father,father's father,son and son's son.

A Collateral kin is a person who is related indirectly through the mediation of another relative such as father's brother,mother's sister,father's sister,mother's brother,father's brother's children,mother's sister's children and so on.