Clan - clan (English spelling)

Japanese: 氏族 - しぞく(英語表記)clan
Clan - clan (English spelling)

A unilineal descent group. A unilineal descent group is a group made up of descendants whose parentage can be traced only through males or females from a specific ancestor. A patrilineal descent group is made up of descendants whose descent can be traced only through males from a specific male ancestor, while a matrilineal descent group is made up of descendants whose descent can be traced only through females from a specific female ancestor. Among such groups, groups whose members clearly know their genealogical relationship to each other or to a common ancestor are called lineages. In contrast, groups whose members only have a belief in a legendary or mythical common ancestor and whose genealogical relationship to that common ancestor or among themselves cannot be clearly traced are usually called clans or clans, and are distinguished from lineages.

A clan is a group of people with a unique name and often associated with a particular totem; if patrilineal, children belong to the father's clan and membership in the clan is passed down from sons to their children; if matrilineal, children belong to the mother's clan and membership is passed down to daughters' children. Clans are often umbrella groups with internal divisions such as subclans and lineages, but some clans do not have such internal divisions. Clans may also be organized into higher-level units such as phratries and moieties.

Exogamy restrictions that prohibit marriage between men and women of the same clan are widespread, and members of the same clan consider each other to be blood relatives even if their lineage cannot be traced. Clans may have common property or be linked to specific territorial units and show relative geographic unity, but in many cases they are dispersed over a wide area and have no geographic unity as a whole. Even in such cases, members often have a sense of solidarity among each other in the form of hospitality, assistance, and calling each other by kinship names.

[Mitsuru Hamamoto]

[Reference] | Clan system | Origin/group of origin

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

単系出自集団unilineal descent groupの一つ。単系出自集団とは、特定の祖先から、男性または女性のみを通じて親子関係がたどれる子孫たちのつくる集団である。父系出自集団は特定の男性祖先から男のみを通じて出自がたどれる子孫、母系出自集団は逆に、特定の女性祖先から女性のみを通じて出自がたどれる子孫からなる。このような集団のうち、成員が互いの、あるいは共通祖先との系譜関係をはっきり知っているような集団はリネージとよばれるが、これに対し、伝説上の、あるいは神話上の共通祖先をもっているという信仰のみで、その共通祖先との、あるいは成員相互の系譜的関係がはっきりとはたどれないような集団を氏族またはクランとよんで、リネージと区別するのが普通である。

 氏族は固有の名称をもち、しばしば特定のトーテムとも結び付いた集団で、父系の場合、子供たちは父親の氏族に所属し、氏族の成員権は、息子からまたその子供たちへと継承されていく。母系の場合、子供は母の氏族に属し、成員権は娘の子供たちへと継承される。しばしば氏族は、その内部に亜氏族やリネージなどの内部区分をもつ包括的集団となっているが、このような内部区分をもたない氏族もある。また氏族が胞族phratryや半族moietyなど、より高次の単位に組織されていることもある。

 同じ氏族の男女の結婚を禁ずる外婚規制が広くみられ、同じ氏族の成員は、互いの系譜関係がたどれぬ場合でも、互いを血縁者とみなしている。氏族は共有財産をもったり、特定の領土単位と結び付き、比較的地理的なまとまりを示すこともあるが、多くの場合、広い地域に分散して全体としては地理的まとまりをもっていない。このような場合にも、成員相互には、もてなしや援助、互いを親族名称で呼び合うなどの形で、一種の連帯感が伴うことが多い。

[濱本 満]

[参照項目] | 氏族制度 | 出自・出自集団

出典 小学館 日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について 情報 | 凡例

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