Phratry (clan association)

As phratry (derived from the ancient Greek phratría "brotherhood") the ethnology or ethnology describes a social union of several clans (family associations) that act as a community . The members of a phratry see themselves as related to one another through common maternal lines or paternal lines or determine their togetherness through a common cultic relationship to a totem animal as their group guardian spirit. Examples of phratries are groupings among many Indian peoples of North America that are larger than a clan but do not include all of society.

A phratry can work together economically , cultivate its own religious cults , act as a political unit and, together with other phratries, form the social organization of an ethnic society . Phratriums can be divided into individual subgroups, into segments and subsegments . The members of a phratry usually do not marry with each other, but only outside the participating clans ( exogamous ), alternately with other phratries.

There is a difference between clans and so-called lineages (groups of ancestry) - these can derive their common ancestry relatively clearly, while clans are usually derived from a mostly mythical, legendary ancestor or instead refer to a totem animal as a common guardian spirit ( totemic clans). For this reason, lineages generally do not join together to form phratries, but form marriage alliances with lineages of other origins.

Phratrien be in the Ethnosociology with clans, lineages and Moiety-lineages superior as " single-line descent sgruppen" summarized (unilineal descent groups) . They are not congruent with kinship groups ( Kindreds ), these consist of the personal network of a single person to relatives of both parents .

Examples

In North America, the individual tribes of the matrilineal Iroquois consisted of two phratia each, as associations of several related clans (see the tribe of the Mohawk ). This dichotomy, which is also found in other Indian peoples or was previously found, differs from the moiety system with two lineages that is found in many peoples in Australia , Papua New Guinea and Melanesia (see, for example, the Tolai ). Moieties are not (voluntary) associations, but basic classifications according to social characteristics: according to a single line of origin, according to the direction of the settlement area or according to social task.

The North American Osage Indians were divided into two patrilineal moieties, which in turn were divided into four phratries that worked together in the common warfare of the men.

The Hopi Indians used to be divided into 30 matrilineal clans, which were grouped into 9 phratria, many of which no longer exist; one of them is a ceremonial flute player community.

Among the matrilineal Crow Indians, two or three clans each formed a phratry: for hunting together, for festivals and for mutual support.

In the patrilineal Potawatomi -Indianern all clans were divided into six Phratrien: water (Water) , Bird (Bird) , Buffalo (Buffalo) , Wolf (Wolf) , Bear (Bear) and man (Man) . During rituals , festivities and dances, one phratry was responsible as the host, a second for the provision of food and drink and the third for the organization of the ceremonies .

The patrilineal chant , a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in western Siberia, used to be divided into two phratries.

Individual evidence

↑ Gabriele Rasuly-Paleczek: Definition of phratry. (PDF; 1.9 MB) In: Introduction to the forms of social organization. Part 2/5, Institute for Cultural and Social Anthropology, University of Vienna, 2011, p. 75 , archived from the original on October 21, 2013 ; Retrieved on May 22, 2014 (58 pages; documents for their lecture in the summer semester 2011): “[…] the term phratry is mostly used for the larger associations that extend beyond the respective clans. Definition of phratry according to BARNARD / SPENCER: »Phratry: In kinship, a group of clans related by common unilineal descent. The term comes from the Greek word for patrilineal clan (and ultimately from that for brother), but it is most often used in reference to large, often exogamous, Native North American groupings which are larger than the clan but smaller than the indigenous society as a whole. «(BARNARD / SPENCER 1997: p. 617) (cf. also definition in BARGATZKY 1985: p. 58; KEESING 1975: p. 150, glossary; VIVELO 1981: p. 230) Phratriums can also be divided into individual segments and sub-segments. (See SCHMITZ 1964: p. 42); ad. For details on phratie cf. [...] u. a. SCHUSKY (1965: p. 67f) " .

[Rasuly-Paleczek_2011-75-1] Gabriele Rasuly-Paleczek: Definition of phratry. (PDF; 1.9 MB) In: Introduction to the forms of social organization. Part 2/5, Institute for Cultural and Social Anthropology, University of Vienna, 2011, p. 75 , archived from the original on October 21, 2013 ; Retrieved on May 22, 2014 (58 pages; documents for their lecture in the summer semester 2011): “[…] the term phratry is mostly used for the larger associations that extend beyond the respective clans. Definition of phratry according to BARNARD / SPENCER: »Phratry: In kinship, a group of clans related by common unilineal descent. The term comes from the Greek word for patrilineal clan (and ultimately from that for brother), but it is most often used in reference to large, often exogamous, Native North American groupings which are larger than the clan but smaller than the indigenous society as a whole. «(BARNARD / SPENCER 1997: p. 617) (cf. also definition in BARGATZKY 1985: p. 58; KEESING 1975: p. 150, glossary; VIVELO 1981: p. 230) Phratriums can also be divided into individual segments and sub-segments. (See SCHMITZ 1964: p. 42); ad. For details on phratie cf. [...] u. a. SCHUSKY (1965: p. 67f) " .