Unpacking Hopi "Clans": Another Vintage Model out of Africa?

Conventional views of Hopi social structure depict the basic units of Hopi society as matrilineal descent groups nested in levels of complementary opposition. Following the emergent descent theory of the 1940s and 1950s, lineages and clans are characterized as incorporated about joint estates which...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of anthropological research 1985-12, Vol.41 (4), p.359-374
Main Author: Whiteley, Peter M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural land
American Indians
Anthropology
Ceremonies
Clans
Descent
Ethnology
Family names
Generalities
Kivas
Matrilineality
Mesas
Names
Social organization
Social structure
Social structure and social relations
Social structures
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Summary:Conventional views of Hopi social structure depict the basic units of Hopi society as matrilineal descent groups nested in levels of complementary opposition. Following the emergent descent theory of the 1940s and 1950s, lineages and clans are characterized as incorporated about joint estates which consist mainly of real property. This two-part paper (part II will appear in volume 42) questions whether Hopi descent groups are corporate units in any of the definitive spheres of classic descent theory--economic, ritual, or jural. It is suggested that grave deficiencies exist in the conventional view of Hopi social structure.
ISSN:0091-7710
2153-3806
DOI:10.1086/jar.41.4.3630570