NAME: KHOO XIAO XIAN
MATRIC NUMBER: 66382
First Question
- a) Four ways to conceptualize “descent”.
A descent group is any social community in which membership relies on a shared descent from an actual or mythical ancestor. The first descent group is the patrilineal descent in which an individual will follows the line of an ancestor. Patrilineal descent is defined as an Individuals’ family affiliation emerges from and is identified by the descent of their father. The Nuer is practising patrilineal descent. The second descent group is the matrilineal descent, in which the line of an ancestor is according to the female ancestor. In the matrilineal descent, female give more privilege to heir the property. Mosuo people practice matrilineal descent. Patrilineal and matrilineal descent both also known as unilineal descent groups, which focus either male or female. The individual may be followed either to their father or mother descent is known as ambilineal descent. According to this ambilineal (cognatic) descent, the person can choose which descent group they want to follow. The last decent group is known as double descent, or double unilineal descent, which means both the father and mother are accepted. The individual will follow some part to patrilineal descent for some reason and, at the same time, follow some part from matrilineal descent for other purposes—people who live in Yako of Nigeria practice this descent group.
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- b) Four ways to conceptualize “marriage.”
Marriage is a formal union and social and legal contract between two individuals that unites their lives legally, economically, and emotionally (Stritof, 2019). Exogamy marriage is one type of marriage, which means the person will choose their partner outside their group. Exogamy marriage will help the community wider its connection network. Indian communities usually practice exogamy marriage. Endogamy marriage is the second type of marriage, which means individuals will choose their husbands or wives in the same community. Royal Endogamy practice is one of the examples of endogamy marriage. In ancient Egypt, they usually practice this kind of marriage. Iban community also practice endogamy marriage but must follow some rules in the community. Besides that, same-sex marriage is also one type of marriage practice in society. Same-sex marriage means husband and wife have the same sex, no matter is male to male or female to female. Apart from that, polygamy marriage also known as plural marriage. Can more than one spouse at the same time. Polygamy marriages divide into polygyny (male have more than one wife at the same period) and polyandry (female have more than one husband at the same period). People live in Tibet, Nepal will practice polyandry marriage, and the Kanuri people practice polygyny marriage.
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Second Question
- Explain FOUR (4) functions of a descent group and provide a specific example of each in the Bornean context.
Descent group composed of relatives, all of whom traces their relationship through consanguineal (blood) or affinal (marriage) relations to an actual, commonly known ancestor (Scupin & DeCorse, 2020). Descent group plays a vital role in the community. I will focus only on four main functions and will give a specific example of each function. The first function is to allow the transfer of property for the current generation to the next generation. A community usually will be facing the problem of who is the person will be heir their ancestor’s property but, in many communities, the oldest generation will directly pass their property to the same descent group. For instance, in the Bidayuh community, they generally live in the longhouse to organize their domestic life, and the Bidayuh (turun) will take over the land property from their ancestor. Blood relationship is the most important factor that allows transferring the land property because when they pass their property according to the descent group, they can preserve their culture well. To carry out religious ritual is one of the functions of the descent group. Some religious ceremonies can perform to be certain people only in a community. Bilek is the house for the Iban people to stay. Every Bilek (tuai rumah) consists of one leader to rule the customary law, and a religious specialist (tuai burong) will be in charge of the ritual’s ceremony. The leader should be chosen based on the Iban descent group. Besides that, provides economic substance is also the function of the descent group. When living in the same descent group, it easy to get the economic substance. In the Melanau community, harvesting and hunting, combined with the agriculture of the sago garden, are the ways to provides economic substance. Divisions of labor in the same descent group can help the community easy to obtain industrial supply different people perform different duties in the descent group. The last function for the descent group is to prohibiting marriage in close cousins. In many communities, marriage to the close cousin or the same descent group is an insect taboo; this may cause gene mutation. When the person knows about their descent group, it can prevent them from marrying the close cousin. For example, a native customary law is set in the Dusun community to prohibiting marriage between close relatives. Without this descent group, society may not recognize their relatives, so descent groups seem a very important system to persist in all society.