An Amazonian Iroquois system: EnaweneNawe kinship and alliance

Iroquois kinship vocabularies are one of the most long-standing topics in social anthropology. This article resumes this long tradition. Based on first-hand ethnographic data, the text analyses the kinship classifications of the Enawene-Nawe, an Arawakspeaking people located in Meridional Amazonia. As is typical in such vocabularies, the Enawene-Nawe system does not express a prescriptive rule of marriage. Native discourse only formulates two interdictions: unions between people from the same clan and unions between kin with close genealogical ties. On the other hand, the Enawene-Nawe indicate a virtuous formula of matrimonial alliance that manifests in concepts and practices: direct exchange between two families, without repetition in subsequent generations.

KEYWORDS :
terminology; Iroquois systems; alliance schemes; Amerindian peoples; Enawene-Nawe

Authorship

Marcio Silva

Universidade de São Paulo / São Paulo, SP, Brasil marciofs@usp.brUniversidade de São Paulo / São Paulo, SP, Brasil marciofs@usp.brUniversidade de São Paulo / São Paulo, SP, Brasil marciofs@usp.br

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3867-5356

SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Figures | Tables

Figures (4)
Tables (8)

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Figure 1
Affines as consanguines of consanguines.

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Figure 2
mmediate affines as cross relatives (genealogical affines) of consanguineal kin.

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Figure 3
Immediate affines as genealogical affines of geneaological affines

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Figure 4
A native model of matrimonial circulation

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Table 1:
From Morgan to Lowie.

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Table 2
From Lowie to Murdock

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Table 3
Dravidian and Iroquois.

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Table 4
Synthetic terms.

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Table 5
Allomorphs.

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Table 6a:
Conceptual Structure of Enawene-Nawe kinship Male Ego

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Table 6b:
Conceptual structure of Enawene-Nawe kinship Female Ego

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Table 7
Conceptual structure of Enawene-Nawe kinship

Figure 1 Affines as consanguines of consanguines.

Source: Author’s elaboration (2021)

Figure 2 mmediate affines as cross relatives (genealogical affines) of consanguineal kin.

Source: Author’s elaboration (2021)

Figure 3 Immediate affines as genealogical affines of geneaological affines

Source: Author’s elaboration

Figure 4 A native model of matrimonial circulation

Source: Author’s elaboration (2021)

Table 1: From Morgan to Lowie.

*Morgan 1871* MORGAN, Lewis Henry. 1871. Systems of Consanguinity and Affinity of the Human Family. Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, No. 17, Washington, Smithsonian Institution.	*Lowie 1928* LOWIE, Robert. 1928. A note on relationship terminologies. American Anthropologist, vol. 30: 263-268.	Principles
Descriptive	Lineal	+ Lineality, Crossness
	F ≠ FB = MB, M ≠ MZ = FZ
	Bifurcate Collateral	+ Lineality, + Crossness
	F ≠ FB ≠ MB, M ≠ MZ ≠ FZ
Classificatory	Generational	Lineality, Crossness
	F = FB = MB, M = MZ = FZ
	Bifurcate Merging	Lineality, + Crossness
	F = FB ≠ MB, M = MZ ≠ FZ

Source: Author (2021)

Table 2 From Lowie to Murdock

*Lowie 1928* LOWIE, Robert. 1928. A note on relationship terminologies. American Anthropologist, vol. 30: 263-268.	*Murdock 1949* MURDOCK, George. 1949. Social Structure. New York: Macmillan.	Principles
Lineal	Eskimo	+ Lineality, - Crossness
	B ≠ (MZCh = FBCh = MBCh = FZCh)
Bifurcate Collateral	Sudanese	+ Lineality, + Crossness
	B ≠ (MZCh = FBCh) ≠ (MBCh = FZCh)
Generational	Hawaiian	Lineality, - Crossness
	B = MZCh = FBCh = MBCh = FZCh
Bifurcate Merging	Iroquois	Lineality, + Crossness
	(B = MZCh = FBCh) ≠ (MBCh = FZCh)
	Crow
	(B = MZCh = FBCh) ≠ MBCh ≠ FZCh
	FZD = FZ e/ou MBD = BD
	Omaha
	(B = MZCh = FBCh) ≠ MBCh ≠ FZCh
	FZD = ZD and/or MBD = MZ

Source: Author (2021)

Table 3 Dravidian and Iroquois.

Dravidian				Iroquois
Generation +1	P=	P≠	X= X≠	Generation+1	P= P≠	X= X≠
Generation O	P	X	X P	Generation O	P X	P X

Source: Author (2021)

Table 4 Synthetic terms.

A.	Synthetic Terms (reference vocabulary)
*(1) ato-re*	FF, MF, etc. (any male kin, generation +2 and above)
*(2) ahi-ro*	FM,MM, etc. (any female kin, generation +2 and above)
*(3) haha-re*	F, FB, etc. (any parallel male kin, generation +1)
*(4) mama-lo*	M, MZ, etc. (any parallel female kin, generation +1)
*(5) koko-re*	MB, FWB, etc. (any cross male kin, generation +1)
*(6) keke-ro*	FZ, MHZ, etc. (any cross female kin, generation +1)
*(7) yaya-re*	eB, eMZS, eFBS, etc. (any parallel kin, generation 0, elder) eMBS♀, eFZS♀, etc. (any cross kin, generation 0, elder, for female Ego)
*(8) yaya-lo*	eZ, eMZD, eFBD, etc. (any parallel kin, generation 0, elder) eMBD♀, eFZD♀, etc. (any cross kln, generation 0, elder, for female Ego)
*(9) yowa-re*	yB, yMZS, yFBS, etc. (any parallel kin, generation 0, younger) yMBS♀, yFZS♀, etc. (any cross kin, generation 0, younger, for female Ego)
*(10) yowa-lo*	yZ, yMZD, yFBD, etc. (any parallel kin, generation 0, younger) yMBD♀, yFZD♀, etc. (any cross kin, generation 0, older, for female Ego)
*(11) noheroĩ*	MBS♂, FZS♂, etc. (any cross kin from generation 0, for male Ego)
*(12) hanuĩ*	Fiancés (promised in marriage)
*(13) nerani*	H♀, HB♀, ZH♀, etc. (husband, brother-in-law, for female Ego)
*(14) neraneto*	W♂, WZ♂, BW♂, etc. (wife, sister-in-law, for male Ego)
*(15) nowato-re*	ZH♂, WB♂, etc. (brother-in-law, for male Ego)
*(16) nowato-lo*	BW♀, HZ♀, etc. (brother-in-law, for female Ego)
*(17) nonatonawene*	ChSpF (co-father-in-law)
*(18) nonatonawene-ro*	ChSpM (co-mother-in-law)
*(19) netai*	S, D, BCh♂, FBSCh♂, FZSCh♂, MZSCh♂, MBSCh♂, etc., ZCh♀, FBDCh♀, FZDCh♀, MZDCh♀, MBDCh♀, etc.
*(20) nodai-se*	ZS♂, FBDS♂, FZDS♂, MZDS♂, MBDS♂, etc.
*(21) nodai-xo*	ZD♂, FBDD♂, FZDD♂, MZDD♂, MBDD♂, etc.
*(22) tawi-hi*	BS♀, FBSS♀, FZSS♀, MZSS♀, MBSS♀, etc.
*(23) tawi-ro*	BD♀, FBSD♀, FZSD♀, MZSD♀, MBSD♀, etc.
*(24) noxi-wete*	SS, DS, etc. (any male kin, generation -2 and below)
*(25) noxi-weto*	SD, DD, etc. (any female kin, generation -2 and below)

Source: Author (2021)

Table 5 Allomorphs.

Vocative	Referential (first person)	Referential (third person)
*(1) ato*	*ato-re*	*enatokwe*
*(2) ahi*	*ahi-ro*	*enaserõ*
*(5)koko*	*koko-re*	*enekokwe*
*(6) keke*	*keke-ro*	*enakero*
*(7, 8) yaya*	*yaya-re*	*enaninani*
*(7, 8) yaya*	*yaya-lo*	*enahalo*
*(9, 10) yowa*	*yowa-re*	*ediñoarene*
*(9, 10) yowa*	*yowa-lo*	*ediñoalone*
*(14) ene*	*nerani*
*(19) hare*	*netai*
*(19) malo*	*netai*

Source: Author (2021)

Table 6a: Conceptual Structure of Enawene-Nawe kinship Male Ego

Generation	Man		Woman
Cross		Parallel		Cross
*G+2*	Atore		Ahiro
*G+1*	Kokore	Hahare	Mamalo	Kekero
G0	Noheroĩ	Yayare> Yoware<	Yayalo> Yowalo<
*G-1*	Nodaise	Etaĩ		Nodaixo
*G-2*	Noxiwete		Noxiwetõ

Source: Author (2021)

Table 6b: Conceptual structure of Enawene-Nawe kinship Female Ego

Generation	Man		Woman
Cross		Parallel		Cross
*G+2*	Atore		Ahiro
*G+1*	Kokore	Hahare	Mamalo	Kekero
G0	Yayare> Yoware<		Yayalo> Yowalo<
*G-1*	Tawihĩ	Etaĩ		Tawiro
*G-2*	Noxiwete		Noxiwetõ

Source: Author (2021)

Table 7 Conceptual structure of Enawene-Nawe kinship

Male			Female
Ego			Ego
Generation			Generation
	Man	Woman		Man	Woman
*G+1*	Niatokwe	Niaserô	*G+1*	Niatokwe	Niaserô
*G+1*	“father-in-law”	“mother-in-law”	*G+1*	“father-in-law”	“mother-in-law”
Hanuĩ			Hanuĩ
“fiancés”			“fiancées”
G0	Natonawene	Natonawenerõ	G0	Natonawene	Natonawenerõ
	“co-father-in-law”	“co-mother-in-law”		“co-father-in-law”	“co-mother-in-law”
	Nowatore	Neranetõ		Nerani	Nowatolo
	“brother-in-law”	“wife, sister-in-law”		“husband, brother-in-law”	“sister-in-law”
		Netaĩ-akerõ			Netaĩ-ekokwe
		“son’s paternal aunt, sister-in-law”			“son’s maternal uncle, brotherin-law”
		Nodaese-akerõ			Tawihi-ekokwe
		“sister’s son’s paternal aunt, sister-in-law”			“brother’s son’s maternal uncle, brother-in-law”
		Nodaexo-akerõ			Tawiro-ekokwe
		“sister’s daughter’s paternal aunt, sister-in-law”			“brother’s daughter’s maternal uncle, brother-in-law”
*G-1*	Notene	Noxinetõ	G-1	Notene	Noxinetõ
*G-1*	“grandchild’s father”	“grandchild’s mother”	G-1	“grandchild’s father”	“grandchild’s mother”

Source: Author (2021)

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Universidade de São Paulo - USP Departamento de Antropologia. Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas. Universidade de São Paulo. Prédio de Filosofia e Ciências Sociais - Sala 1062. Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, 315, Cidade Universitária. , Cep: 05508-900, São Paulo - SP / Brasil, Tel:+ 55 (11) 3091-3718 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revista.antropologia.usp@gmail.com

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An Amazonian Iroquois system: EnaweneNawe kinship and alliance

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[TFN9] Source: Author (2021)