Clan (ethnology)

A clan (from the Gaelic. Clann “relatives”, “offspring”) is a unilinear related association that extends its origin to a single ancestor , whose exact genealogical relationships are not traced. In the literature on ethnology and social anthropology, the term “clan” is often used somewhat broader in relation to any kindred groupings of preclass and early class societies ^[1] . The original meaning of the Celtic (Gaelic) word "clan" is associated with bilateral related groups similar to the Old German Siberian siblings (the term "sib" used in the works of US ethnologists is synonymous with the term "clan", which is characteristic, in particular, for the scientific tradition of Great Britain ) ^{[2] [3]} .

Due to the lack of universal terminology in ethnological studies, the concept of “clan” can be related to a wide variety of related groups. It is used as a synonym for the terms “ lineage ”, “maximum lineage” (associations in which genealogical relationships can be traced that lead to a real, rather than mythical ancestor), it can also mean over-line unilinear formations that do not have a genealogical structure. The term “clan” can be called only patrilineal related groups ( L. G. Morgan ) or only matrilineal groups ( J. Murdoch ). In a number of works on ethnology, a clan refers to a group of related families whose heads descend from a common male ancestor (one of the meanings of patronymia ), as well as a tribal community based on a localized kinship. In domestic literature, the term "clan" is mainly used as a synonym for the term "genus", which is not a very accurate comparison, occasionally under the name "clan" they can mean the concept of "patronymia". In N. A. Butinov, under the name of a clan is meant a clan community. In MV Kryukov, a clan is a segmented set of related elementary (small) families ^{[4] [5]} .

In ethnology, the terms "egalitarian clan" and "conical, or stratified, or aristocratic clan" are also often found. The latter denotes a hierarchical structure of several lines of the corresponding status, built on the principle of primogeniture (previously the term “ Ramage ” was used in relation to such structures) ^{[4] [5] [6]} .

The latest research on ethnology, primarily in English, there is a tendency to give the terms a unified content. In this connection, scientists strive to follow the basic general meaning of the term “clan”, which is defined as “a unilinear blood-related corporate group whose members elevate their origin to a common ancestor, but cannot trace all their family ties genealogically”. The clan can combine several lines. It can be both exogamous and endogamous ^[4] .