Emergence of Kinship Structures and Descent Systems: Multi-level Evolutionary Simulation and Empirical Data Analysis

TL;DR

This paper combines multi-level evolutionary simulation and empirical data analysis to explore how kinship structures and descent systems emerge and vary in indigenous societies based on cooperation and competition dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces an agent-based model that simulates the evolution of kinship structures and validates the results with global ethnographic data.

Findings

Kinship structures emerge from cooperation and competition parameters.

Different descent systems are associated with specific social and mating strategies.

Theoretical results are empirically supported by ethnographic data.

Abstract

In many indigenous societies, people are categorised into several cultural groups, or clans, within which they believe to share ancestors. Clan attributions provide certain rules for marriage and descent. Such rules between clans constitute kinship structures. Anthropologists have revealed several kinship structures. Here, we propose an agent-based model of indigenous societies to reveal the evolution of kinship structures. In the model, several societies compete. Societies themselves comprise multiple families with parameters for cultural traits and mate preferences. These values determine with whom each family cooperates and competes and are transmitted to a new generation with mutation. The growth rate of each family is determined by the number of cooperators and competitors. Through this multi-level evolution, family traits and preferences diverge to form clusters that can be regarded as clans. Subsequently, kinship structures emerge, including dual organisation and generalised or restricted exchange, as well as patrilineal, matrilineal, and double descent systems. These structures emerge depending on the necessity of cooperation and the strength of mating competition. Their dependence is also estimated analytically. Finally, statistical analysis using the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample, a global ethnographic database, empirically verified theoretical results. Such collaboration between theoretical and empirical approaches will unveil universal features in anthropology.