Kinship : definitions, forms, kinship system in north n south India-imp features

Meaning

Kinship provides the framework of social relationship. Kinship means relationship of the individual with the other members due to either a bond of marriage or through blood. Kinship bonds are very strong. Kinship begins with nuclear family. The kins found in this group are husband, wife, son, daughter, brother, sister. Kinship is that part of culture which deals with notions of, or ideas about 'relatedness' or relationship through birth and through marriage. A kinship system is not a group like family nor it is a set of institutionalised rules like marriage.

According to Murdock, "It is a structured system of relationship in which individuals are bound to one another by complex interlocking and ramifying ties". Radcliffe-Brown says that Kinship system is a part of social structure and insists upon the study of kinship as a field of rights and obligations.

Types of kinship systems 

Primary kins: Every individual who belong to a nuclear family finds his primary kins within the family. There are 8 primary kins- husband-wife, father-son, mother-son, father-daughter, mother-daughter, younger brother-elder brother, younger sister-elder sister and brother-sister.

Secondary kins: Outside the nuclear family the individual can have 33 types of secondary relatives. For example mother's brother, brother's wife, sister's husband, father's brother.

Tertiary kins: Tertiary kins refer to the secondary kins of our primary kins. For example wife's brother's son, sister's husband's brother and so on. There are 151 types of tertiary kins.

Kinship in North and South India

North Indian kinship systems 
This kinship system is present in Hindi speaking belt and also in areas where Aryan culture influence is substantive. It includes West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar. In case of North India kinship system, the terminology used for father's brother is not used for mother's brother ,therefore Patrikins are distinguished from Matrikins. Within Patrilineal system father's brother are distinguished from father's sister therefore differential terminologies are used. Father's brothers are also distinguished in terms of age and so deferential respect is attribute to them. 

In North India kinship systems, the rules of marriage is highly exhaustive because a large body of people are excluded from alliance relationship. One is not supposed to receive a woman from a group to which women is offered within 5 to 7 generations. In addition to that one cannot receive women from his mother’s group or mother's mother group, father’s mother group and from within his own village. Hence exogamy is quite exhaustive and marriage involves not intra-family ties but inter-village ties. Residential system is very Virilocal (bride lives with husband's father’s group) type and marriage involves a series of presentational obligations. 

In North Indian kinship father – son relationship precedes over husband – wife relationship.
Elaborating on this Veena Das in an analysis of Punjabi kinship system indicates that natural sexual relationship between husband and wife are subdued to social established relationship between father and son 
thereby glorifying the values of patriarchy (system of kinship where authority rests with male). 

South Indian kinship systems 
This type of relationship system is largely present in all southern states and some of its influence is also largely noticed in pockets of Maharashtra and Orissa. In southern India kinship systems, no distinction is made between patrilineal or matrilineal ,therefore father's brother is equated with mother's sister's husband and both their children being parallel cousins so no marriage is allowed between them. To its contrast father's sister's group is equated with mother's brother's group, hence mother's brother is equivalent to father's sister's husband.

Thus in South India specific patrilineal kins are equated with specific matrilineal Kins. In South India father is equated with elder brother ,mother is equated with elder sister , daughter is equated with younger sister and son is equated with younger brother and subsequently/correspondingly terminologies are adjusted. These terminologies speaks about love for younger, respect for elders cutting across generational principles. 

In case of South India cross cousins marriage take place and so exogamy is not exhaustive like in North India. The relationship between husband and wife is not subdued to father – son relationship as in case of North India. Hostility of relationship between the in laws driven by suspicion is also weak in South India.