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Ivory Coast
Index
In Côte d'Ivoire, as in most of Africa, family
relationships
reflect beliefs about kinship that differ markedly from
those of
most Europeans and Americans. Kinship groups are
relatively
resistant to change through modernization, and as a
result, one
traditional descent group--the lineage--is so common that
it can be
discussed in general terms, without reference to specific
Ivoirian
cultures. The organization of the lineage is based on the
belief
that relationships traced through males and those traced
through
females are substantially different. Kinship terms and
behavioral
expectations differ accordingly.
The patrilineage, or group formed by tracing descent
through
male forebears to a male ancestor, is an important social
unit
throughout most of Africa. In eastern Côte d'Ivoire,
however, many
societies are organized into matrilineages, tracing
descent through
female forebears to one female ancestor. Each type of
lineage
includes both men and women, sometimes five or six
generations
removed from the founding ancestor, but the linking
relatives are
of one gender. In this way, second and third cousins
within the
same lineage may be considered closer relatives than first
cousins
in two different lineages, i.e., children of a brother and
sister.
Lineages generally share corporate responsibility for
socializing the young and maintaining conformity to social
norms.
Lineage elders often meet to settle disputes, to prescribe
or
enforce rules of etiquette and marriage, to discuss
lineage
concerns, and in general to preserve the group itself.
They also
serve as pressure groups on individuals, bringing
nonconformists in
line with socially accepted standards. Lineage rules
usually
require individuals to marry outside their lineage, and
the
resulting alliances are important sources of social
cohesion.
Although these practices were widely condemned by some of
the
teachings of early European missionaries and by colonial
officials,
they have been preserved nonetheless because they provide
a
coherent set of expectations by which people can live in
harmony
with the universe as it is perceived in that society.
Lineage ties serve to emphasize the unity of living and
deceased relatives by descent through ritual observances
and
ceremonies. At times, however, lineages break apart in
response to
the pressure of interpersonal rivalries or when they
become too
large to maintain close ties. When such fission occurs,
related
lineages usually maintain some ties and celebrate
occasions
together. If they consider their alliance important enough
to be
preserved for several generations, the resulting
confederation of
lineages, usually termed a clan, may include
thousands of
individuals and become a powerful interest group in the
regional or
national context. Aside from their political potential,
many
aspects of lineage behavior and expectation are still
important in
Côte d'Ivoire, giving people their sense of history and
social
responsibility and serving to define the role of the
individual in
society.
Data as of November 1988
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