Navajo Kinship and Marriage.

Abstract

The are one of the most studied people in the world; yet their social organization is one of the least well understood. In Navajo Kinship and Marriage, Gary Witherspoon, a fluent speaker of the language who lived among the for eight years, offers a new theoretical approach to kinship based on its cultural dimensions. makes a primary distinction between culture (patterns for behavior) and the system of social relations (observable patterns of behavior) in this definitive work on kinship and Witherspoon . . . clarifies problems pertaining to kinship and marriage through his skillful use of the concepts of cultural and social systems. He adds to the body of knowledge on the by his own fieldwork and unique life experiences. R. S. Freed, Sociology Not only can Witherspoon's book on kinship help unravel the web for the Anglo willing to concentrate, it can also bring to readers an understanding of why Anglos don't understand family relationships. Joanne Reuter, Navajo Times This is an important work on kinship and marriage. David F. Aberle, American Anthropology

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