Kinship System In Australia

Aborigines 1

Australian Aborigines
Carolyn Bennett
ANT101
Lecia Sims
4/29/12

Aborigines 2
Introduction
In the following pages I am going to try to identify and describe the kinship system and the habits and ways of the Australian Aborigines

Aborigines 3
Australian Aboriginals The Australian Aborigines are a nomadic band of people that roam the outback of Australia. They walk for miles a day, rest at night, and then walk some more the next day. The men kill the animals of Australia for food and the women gather what roots and berries that they can find. They travel from place to place according to the seasons.
They use the method of general reciprocity to survive. What one male of one family kills for food, they share with the other families in the band, expecting nothing in return. They also use the balanced reciprocity. When they meet other bands they will trade left over food or other items for something of equal value. There are small markets where they can take their belongings and trade for things that they need. The Aborigines believe in the cross-cousins marriage. They marry within the family. Cross-cousins are the children of the opposite-sex siblings. They marry their uncle’s or their aunt’s children. The male will usually move in with his new wife’s family and help to furnish food and other things that they need. Divorce is very easy among the bands because there is no property to divide. It is usually the woman who initiates the divorce. When she gets tired of her mate, or decides that she want Aborigines 4 another mate, she leaves him. When a couple no longer sleeps together, then they are considered
If the woman is breastfeeding then the baby goes with her. The children that are old enough can choose which parent they want to live with. Since they are all in the same family, custody is shared. The men are considered the hunters of the band and the women are the gatherers. The women are the ones who control the population. Because of their constant roaming, their children must be at least 4 years apart. Breastfeeding is a natural form of birth spacing. While a woman is breastfeeding she produces a hormone that stops ovulation and they cannot get pregnant. They cannot carry more than one baby at a time so their other children must be old enough to walk. It is not unusual for a woman to kill or leave a newborn behind to die because of deformity or starvation. They will mostly kill the female and try to keep the male. A Shaman is a healer among the people. They can be male or female, depending on the cultural rules. In some cultures, shamans use their power to cause rather than heal illness. Shamans who make people sick are sometimes said to be using sorcery. Among one Aboriginal community, bad feelings can be caused between groups if it is believed that sorcery has caused someone to