Nivaclé - Kinship

Kin Groups and Descent. The largest Nivaclé kinship group is the territorial clan, a group that originated in a particular geographic region and bears its name. Descent is bilateral, and a distinction is made between male and female kin: ats'avot and ats'ichei, respectively.

Kinship Terminology. In Ego's generation, sibling terminology is Dravidian. The four terms are applied collaterally, whereas terminology for cousins appears to be Hawaiian. Consanguineal and affinal terms are always separate. Consanguineal terminology is symmetrical, with no differentiation between male and female lines; it is ambilateral. There are mourning terms that are applied to relatives who have lost a son and who have gone through the corresponding ceremony.