Kinship & Marriage: The Dani People of New Guinea
The Dani People of New Guinea has a very unique social structure. They have specific rules that they adhere to when it comes to the grouping of families, marriage and gender roles. The Dani people are divided into two exogamous patrilineal groups. These groups are identified as Wida and Waija. The term exogamous refers to a social arrangement where one is only allowed to marry outside of their social group. Wida men and women are not allowed to marry or have sex with a Wida member of the opposite sex; they must marry into the opposite group. Waija people adhere to the same rules of sex and marriage. Even though the Dani people are divided by their linage they share a common culture and a common language.
The Dani People of New Guinea are known to practice polygyny. This is a common practice due to the major difference in age of marriage between girls and boys. Girls typically get married shortly after puberty, while boys wait until years after they mature. Men are allowed to have multiple wives, but women can only have one husband at a time.…show more content… The Dani people are divided into exogamous patrilineal groups, while I consider myself to be bilateral. I feel just as connected to my mother’s niece as I do my father’s nephew. The Dani people frown upon marrying within social groups, while my family would prefer I marry someone within my race. Although, I do not think they would mind if I were to marry someone of higher social status than myself. Another difference would be the age of marriage. In our society getting married immediately after puberty is almost unheard of. Also, if I were to get married my family would not make “bride payments” to my husband’s family. The most obvious difference I noticed is that they practice polygyny. It is illegal in the United States to have more than one spouse at the same