Exogamy is a ban on closely related marriages. In the primitive communal system, hereditary endogamy, observed on a matrilineal or patrilineal account of kinship, was a popular model. However, in the process of evolution, it was noticed that racial mixing gives a better generation, therefore, restrictions on sexual relations between relatives gradually began to be introduced. Defining uniform canons of marriage was hindered by the argument that under endogamy property remained within the community, secrets of craftsmanship were preserved. The deplorable cases of the consequences of endogamy - the birth of underdeveloped people - strongly influenced the mind, and increasingly began to apply a taboo on the love of relatives.
What do scientists say?
Since the 19th century, sociologists have come to grips with the institution of marriage. One of the first was McLennan. In the XIX century, he was presented with the version of the division of all primitive communities into exogamous and endogamous tribes. He explained the genesis of the appearance of external marriages by the tradition of peoples killing girls who burdened the struggle for survival. There was a need for the theft of women - a practice that has become a religious and social norm. However, the peoples living in isolation from the warring neighbors did not support this rite and maintained endogamy. The imperfection of this concept can be traced in the identity of endogamy and exogamous groups, while there were no clear definitions of existing phenomena.
The next scientist to tackle the problem was American Lewis Henry Morgan. He found out the true essence of the legal provisions, proving that there are no sharp distinctions between the two postulates. These are only two sides of the same phenomenon. A study of the tribal communities confirmed that the exogame is precisely the clan, other tribal clans have the right to internal marriage. The lack of similarity of opinions on the formation of exogamy is based on the fact that the authors of the proposed theories do not reveal the objective logic of the process.
How it all began
Primitive people had a harem family in which the leader controlled the breeding process. Relations were erratic, children were raised by all members of society. Among men there was a constant struggle for their women. This hindered the rise in labor productivity and housekeeping. To eliminate contention, a common will is created, the previous relations between the sexes become endogamous.
Union within the group, caused by the desire to preserve property within the clan, leads to incest and degeneration. Later, power was allowed only after hunting and was equated with holidays. The custom took place until the 19th century. Relations took a different form of marriage: thus, we conclude that exogamy is a veto on the merger of relatives, the search for partners in foreign tribes.
Who is more important - dad or mom?
There is a concept that the first type of exogamy arose during the matriarchy period, when the mother was considered the head of the genus, and the blood bonds were counted along the maternal branch. This was in the days when a woman procured food by collecting fruits, berries, insects and small animals.
Matriarchy is divided into three types:
- matrilocal - the husband lives in the territory of the spouse;
- dislocal - the newlyweds continue to live each in their tribe;
- neolocal - newlyweds live independently, outside their communities.
The second form of exogamy was the era of patriarchal matrimony (patrilinearity), where the degree of kinship was carried out along the male line, and the wife lived with her husband.
The reform
Improving social conditions led to the need for survival by small cells, not clans. Paired families began to be born, who independently led a homestead and raised children. The development of exogamy was complicated by the emergence of conditions such as abduction of wives, introduction of kalym first to the family, then to the parents named. The woman was powerless. It was sold as a thing to husbands. This position was enshrined in religious canons. They also provided for the transfer of inheritance to elder sons.
Historical background to reform
There are three common hypotheses for the causes of exogamy formation:
- avoid the sad results of kinship;
- expansion of contacts, cooperation with other phratries;
- maintaining social peace in the family.
Traditions
To understand how the marriage occurs with exogamy, we turn to history. The main requirement: the couple should not be members of the same community. This rule increases the chances of choosing the second half, integration opens the boundaries between racial clans. Difficulties are associated with adaptation to new values, rituals that regulate life functions.
The preceding confrontation and prejudice complicate the processes of intercultural tolerance. The reverse is also proved: a society with developed migrations is more tolerant. Marriages are performed without magnificent ceremonies; engagement is not found among tribes of the lower level of development. Wedding celebrations include the transfer of ransom and gifts, imaginary fights are played out, stepping over fire, tying the hands of the bride and groom. Some peoples consider the conclusion of the sacrament to be complete if all ceremonies are followed, while others recognize it as lawful only after the birth of a child.
Forms of exogamy
One of the traditional models is dual exogamy - the basis of a tribal society. The tribe was divided into equal compositions, the spouses were selected from the opposite halves. People in the community were in gender and age groups: men, women, children. The transition to an adult composition was called initiation. The meaning of the rite was to familiarize the youths with the housekeeping and social-ideological life. Initiates were first sent for training, then initiated by starvation and beating. After the ritual death, a return to a new status followed, allowing entry into marriage. Dual exogamy suggested a reciprocal conjunction of phratries. Totem affiliation regulated marital orientation, had socio-economic significance.
Evolution
Dual organization is the name of the system of the early tribal collective formed as a result of the emergence of the tribal system. It was determined by the combination of two exogamous clans and the birth of an endogamous tribe. In the course of development and segmentation of the primary genera, the dual association was reincarnated into the structure of two exogamous phratries, uniting even-numbered groups of daughter clans.
Simply put, dual exogamy is marriage only with representatives of a certain kind in order to avoid internecine conflicts. The reasons for the innovations were fear of defloration blood, a hunting lifestyle, hostility to incest, the prevention of internal disagreements.
How did it all go?
The dual exogamy algorithm is quite simple: a contract was concluded with mutual rights and obligations. It was forbidden not only to enter into intimate relations with members of his group, but also obligations were imposed to seek a partner without fail in the union clan. The essence of the new interpretation of group marriage was that it was not a union of individuals, but the unification of entire groups as a holistic entity.
Conclusion
The family is an institution characterized by matrimony, parenthood, and kinship. The issues of the emergence and change of family-marriage relations have occupied the minds of mankind for centuries. Nevertheless, many controversial issues remained. In the course of development, norms for regulating the relations of the sexes improved. Social and economic reforms alter the functions of the family, but the main mission - procreation - is relevant for the current generation. And exogamy is one of the most adapted models of marriage ties and promising forms for the continuation of the human race.