Australian Aboriginal kinship

Australian Aboriginal kinship is the way that Indigenous people in Australia organize their families and relationships.

Every person in an Aboriginal community has a kinship group, which is usually inherited from their parents. This group determines who they can marry, who they can have close relationships with, and the roles they play in their community.

Kinship is divided into two main categories: "moiety" and "section." Moiety refers to the two main groups in a community, which are often called "clans." The moiety divides the people into two groups, often known as "bloodlines" or "totems." Section refers to smaller groups within the moiety, which are often based on gender.

For example, let's pretend the community has two moieties, A and B. A might have a totem of kangaroos and B might have a totem of emus. If you are born into moiety A, you might also have a particular skin which identifies you as part of a certain section, for example, "male red kangaroo" or "female black swan." Depending on your section, you might be able to marry someone from a different section, or only someone from your own section.

Kinship is important in Aboriginal communities because it determines how people relate to each other and how they work together. For example, if there is a dispute between two people in different moieties, the people in the same moiety will work together to find a solution. Additionally, kinship often determines who is responsible for certain tasks and obligations within the community, such as collecting food or helping with childcare.

Overall, Aboriginal kinship is a complex system that plays a vital role in shaping social relationships in Indigenous communities.