Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons^™

Kinship Matters: Structures Of Alliance, Indigenous Foragers, And The Austronesian Diaspora, James West Turner

Human Biology

The study of kinship systems has direct relevance for the field of human genetics and the study of microevolution in human populations. Some types of postmarital residence rules—rules requiring a married couple to live with or near relatives of the husband or wife—will have consequences for the distribution of mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome lineages. Rules that proscribe or encourage marriage with close kin will also have consequences for allele frequency. A preference for marrying at a distance, both socially and geographically, creates alliances that can have survival value for individuals and groups in an environment of periodic or unpredictable …