Bashkirs - Kinship, Marriage, and Family

Kinship. The original patriarchal-clan society for the most part died out in the nineteenth century, except in the more remote regions to the east and southeast. During the collectivization of agriculture in the 1930s the Bashkirs were gathered into some 600 collective farms or employed on another 150 state farms. Despite the impact of this revolutionary economic and social reorganization on Bashkir society, the old patriarchal-clan organization still survives to some degree.

Marriage. Marriage is strongly exogamous, allowed within the clan but no closer than the fifth or sixth generation. In the past marriage was contracted very early, sometimes while the prospective spouses were still in the cradle; today Bashkirs do not usually marry before the age of 18. A mullah formerly participated in the marriage agreement, although the marriage itself was a secular ceremony performed in the home. Upper-caste males used to have two or three wives; ordinary persons had only one unless the first wife was unable to carry out her traditional responsibilities. Under Soviet law polygamy was outlawed and marriages had to be registered according to Soviet practice.

Domestic Unit. After marriage the young Bashkir couple lived with the husband's parents for a while before separating to form a nuclear family.