Yanadi kinship terminology and the expression of affinity

Abstract

Distinctive in its content and nature, Dravidian kinship has been the object of considerable interest and debate among social anthropologists and sociologists studying South Asian social systems. This article examines the kinship terminology of one of the Dravidian communities, the Yanadi, inhabiting the Sriharikota island, Andhra Pradesh, India. In this endeavour, some of the theoretical issues concerning Dravidian kinship are reflected upon and attempts are made to resolve some issues in the light of the Yanadi data. It is argued that the native classification of kinsmen and the cultural construction of affinal relatives reflect a close association of the kinship terminology with cross-cousin marriage and affinity. The article underlines the importance of a cultural analysis of kinship to supplement the formal and widely-employed structural analysis of kinship terminologies.