Kin Groups and Descent. The patriarchal line of descent was organized into a clanlike entity called the tukhum, which was divided into smaller units according to the following hierarchy: the clan (tukhum), the group of related families (haq'u) within the tukhum, and the nuclear family. Relations through the mother, which did not form the basis for a distinct kinship grouping, ceased to be reckoned after the third or fourth kinship link.
Kinship Terminology. The Andis reckon kinship bilaterally, using compound terms to indicate more distant generations: ima (father), imuv ima (grandfather), vosho (son), and voshuv vosho (grandson). Compare the preceding terms with the following noncompound terms for collateral relations: votsi (brother), vats'al (male first cousin), tsinaal (male second cousin), and mazhmutly (male third cousin). Some terms for relation through marriage are nusa (daughter-in-law), nuso (son-in-law), ilatloro (mother-in-law), and imatloro (father-in-law).