The
study and tracing of family pedigrees. This involves
collecting the names of relatives, both living and
deceased, and establishing the relationships between
them based on primary, secondary and/or circumstantial
evidence or documentation, thus building up a cohesive
family tree. Genealogy is sometimes also referred
to as family history, although these terms may be
used distinctly: the former being the basic study
of who is related to whom; the latter involving more
"fleshing out" of the life and family histories
of the individuals involved.
One way to find the family lineage is with the use
of the genealogical method. It is a well-established
ethnographic technique. The early ethnographers developed
symbols that covered the issue of kinship, descent,
and marriage. Studying one's genealogy is important
in terms of social organization, especially where
people live and work with their kin everyday. It plays
a very important role in understanding the current
social relations and reconstructing the history. Marriage
is also looked at because it is important in creating
alliances amongst tribes, clans and villages. |
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