Kinship and descent are each notions that have been of particular preoccupation to social anthropologists, as much due to their importance as because of the difficulties they present. It is worthy to note their close link, stemming from a common social and biological character (only the former being necessary). In particular, kinship refers to social
The terminology of kinship, that is, the terms we use to name our kin, is one of the most important areas of study in the social anthropology of kinship. Kinship terminology is a message carrier, concurrently reflecting and determining social behavior. Kinship refers to social relationships that may or may not coincide with biological ones.
The study of kinship tends to be associated more closely with social anthropology than with sociology. In large part, this is a consequence of anthropologists frequently studying societies in which social and economic organization was premised to a great extent on the obligations and responsibilities that kin had towards one another. Consequently, understanding the kin