Kingship System Of The Australian Aborigines

The kinship system is an element of aboriginal social organization, as well as family relationships that is in the whole of central Australia. It is a multifaceted system that has an effect on how individuals relate to each other. Through this system, there are various relationships among individuals with regard to their duties, tasks, and responsibilities. It is also through the kinship system that there is making of decisions with regard to marriage, funeral tasks, and also how kins should behave among themselves. Kral, I. (2002).  The central kinship is the nuclear family, and it is also the key social unit. The nuclear family has the husband and the wife at its core, and it is through this relationship that intimacy is morally acceptable. The aboriginal Australian kinship system provides opportunities for both men and women to have extra marital, sexual partners.This can be on a romantic, transient ritual or a transient mundane basis. In this kinship system, it was possible to do this through permitting parent replacements, as well as a replacement of spouses. There is also provision for extra marital relationships that fit in this kinship system.

Another aspect of the kinship system of Australian aborigines is that it is an crucial part of the entire social organization. In this system, there is sorting of tribal members into categories where there is the use of names in each tribe.  In this system, there is placing of relatives in similar categories, where they can have qualifying names. It is preferable that wives and husbands have relations with each other as kin. However, this relationship can be on a classificatory basis rather than on a real kinship. Classificatory kinship has it base in aboriginal Australia and is part of their culture. For instance, if a man speaks to another man with a certain kin term, he should use the same kin term for his full brother. Similarly, where there is the use of a kin term to a woman, the same should be for all her full sisters. Jackson M. (2006). 

The nature of relationships is another aspect of the kinship system of Australian aborigines. Some of the relationships posses the perception of having stronger binds than others. An example of this is the relationships between same sex siblings, where there extremely minimal conflict.  In this relationship, brothers have the freedom to compete for the same women. It is also okay if there is the passing of a widow to her dead husband’s younger brother.  In other parts of Australia, there is intense sibling rivalry than in others. This is usually controlled through common religious interests which also allow for modification.  Sisters also have close relationships and are friends, where these relationships have reinforcements from the status of being co wives. There is minimal competition for husbands among sisters as they can share the same husband. Hoogenraad, R. (2001)   The kinship system of Australian aborigines is different from that of the current, contemporary culture. One example of the difference is with regard to marriages. In the kinship system of Australian aborigines, sisters can share a husband. This is different from the modern culture where sisters would contravene ethics if they shared a husband. There is, however, some similarity between the Australian aborigines and the modern culture. This is with regard to the nuclear family. In both settings and culture, the nuclear family is the most significant social unit.

Reference:

Kral, I. (2002) An Introduction to Indigenous Languages and Literacy in Central Australia Alice Springs: Central Australian Remote Health Development Services.

Jackson M. (2006) The World of the First Australians. New York.

Hoogenraad, R. (2001) Critical reflections on the history of bilingual education in Central Australia. New York.