Family and Household

This program focuses on family. Cultural differences such as marriage & naming customs, inheritance lines and the differences between the nuclear & extended family are discussed. The impact of patrillineal versus matrilineal descent, polygamy and female heads of household are explored, as well as the impact these customs have on children and future generations. The Mbuti tribe of Zaire are used to illustrate division of labor between the sexes and the methods by which traditions and responsibilities are passed down from mother to daughter and father to son. The program also shows examples of problems within the Yanomamo and !Kung culture when their traditional families contact elements of modern societies. Guns, industrialization, education and loss of historical land have lasting effects on families and entire societies. A family in India is used to illustrate the problems that can arise in a large extended family where the group is dependent on all its members for labor & wealth.