Bakairi - Kinship

Kin Groups and Descent. Nuclear families live together in separate households. At certain times extended families live together. A larger kin group consists of relatives who live in separate households but who are linked together consanguineally. They provide support in such production activities as clearing land and in family emergencies such as death. Descent groups such as lineages and clans are absent. Genealogies are shallow. People inherit bilaterally.

Kinship Terminology. Bifurcate-merging terms are used for individuals in the first ascending generation. Iroquois rules are used for individuals of one's own generation. Relative ages of males, but not of females, are marked by the use of distinct terms in one's generation. Village elders are lumped into two categories, one male and one female. Children in the first and second descending generations are also grouped under male and female terms.