﻿VIII 
  

   SOCIAL 
  LIFE 
  , 
  

   Kinship 
  Terms 
  

  

  Kinship 
  terms 
  played 
  an 
  important 
  part 
  in 
  all 
  social 
  intercourse. 
  

   They 
  not 
  only 
  designated 
  the 
  actual 
  relationship 
  between 
  persons 
  

   but 
  the 
  custom 
  of 
  never 
  addressing 
  anyone 
  — 
  man, 
  woman, 
  or 
  child 
  — 
  

   by 
  his 
  personal 
  name 
  or 
  of 
  using 
  a 
  person's 
  name 
  when 
  speaking 
  

   of 
  him, 
  if 
  he 
  chanced 
  to 
  be 
  present, 
  made 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  kinship 
  terms 
  

   a 
  practical 
  necessity. 
  These 
  terms 
  were 
  also 
  applied 
  to 
  what 
  

   may 
  be 
  called 
  potential 
  relationships, 
  that 
  is, 
  relationships 
  that 
  

   would 
  be 
  established 
  through 
  marriage 
  made 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  

   tribal 
  custom. 
  If 
  the 
  wife 
  had 
  sisters, 
  these 
  women 
  held 
  a 
  poten- 
  

   tial 
  relationship 
  to 
  her 
  husband, 
  as 
  they 
  might 
  become 
  his 
  wives 
  

   either 
  during 
  his 
  wife's 
  lifetime 
  or 
  at 
  her 
  death. 
  According 
  to 
  

   tribal 
  usage 
  a 
  man 
  had 
  the 
  potential 
  right 
  to 
  marry 
  his 
  wife's 
  sisters 
  

   and 
  also 
  her 
  nieces 
  and 
  her 
  aunts. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  a 
  man 
  

   was 
  under 
  obligation 
  to 
  marry 
  his 
  brother's 
  widow. 
  Should 
  he 
  fail 
  

   in 
  this 
  respect, 
  he 
  was 
  liable 
  to 
  suffer 
  in 
  person 
  or 
  property, 
  either 
  

   by 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  the 
  woman 
  herself 
  or 
  by 
  that 
  of 
  her 
  near 
  of 
  kin, 
  in 
  order 
  

   to 
  force 
  him 
  to 
  recognize 
  or 
  make 
  good 
  her 
  rights. 
  Because 
  of 
  these 
  

   potential 
  relationships 
  the 
  children 
  of 
  the 
  wife 
  called 
  all 
  those 
  whom 
  

   their 
  father 
  might 
  marry 
  "mother" 
  and 
  all 
  their 
  father's 
  brothers 
  

   "father." 
  Moreover, 
  all 
  the 
  children 
  of 
  such 
  relationships 
  called 
  

   one 
  another 
  "brother" 
  and 
  "sister." 
  There 
  was 
  no 
  cousinship. 
  All 
  

   the 
  brothers 
  of 
  the 
  mother 
  were 
  called 
  "uncle" 
  by 
  her 
  children, 
  and 
  

   the 
  father's 
  sisters 
  were 
  called 
  "aunt." 
  

  

  The 
  regulation 
  of 
  marriage 
  implied 
  in 
  these 
  potential 
  relationships 
  

   was 
  explained 
  to 
  be 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  "holding 
  the 
  family 
  intact, 
  for 
  

   should 
  the 
  children 
  be 
  bereft 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  mother 
  they 
  would 
  come 
  

   under 
  the 
  care 
  of 
  her 
  close 
  kindred 
  and 
  not 
  fall 
  into 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  a 
  

   stranger." 
  This 
  interpretation 
  seems 
  borne 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  approval 
  

   still 
  expressed 
  when 
  a 
  woman 
  weds 
  the 
  brother 
  of 
  her 
  late 
  husband 
  

   or 
  a 
  man 
  marries 
  the 
  sister 
  of 
  his 
  dead 
  wife 
  or 
  the 
  widow 
  of 
  his 
  brother 
  ; 
  

   even 
  when 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  marked 
  disparity 
  in 
  the 
  ages 
  of 
  the 
  parties, 
  

   it 
  is 
  said, 
  "The 
  marriage 
  does 
  not 
  make 
  a 
  break 
  in 
  the 
  family 
  

   and 
  it 
  shows 
  respect 
  for 
  the 
  dead." 
  The 
  interweaving 
  of 
  actual 
  and 
  

   potential 
  relationships 
  greatly 
  extended 
  the 
  family 
  connection 
  and 
  

   supplied 
  the 
  proper 
  terms 
  for 
  familiar 
  and 
  ceremonial 
  address. 
  Men- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  custom 
  of 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  women 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  as 
  

  

  313 
  

  

  