KINDSHIP

"In the early Apaches, kinship system stands an extremely important role in their culture. The major social organization they had was the matriarchal system in which mother represents the head of the family. The descents and children all belonged to the mother’s sides. Even now, the matriarchal system is still used by some Apache tribes.⁹ These tribes are all consisted of a number of clans or extended matriarchal families. The main reason of obtaining such kind of organization is to mobilize the group faster and easier to safety (seguridad) locations. Also, they can move, have combat and retreat (retirada) more rapidly and achieve (conseguir) the goal safer.

Instead (en cambio) of individual households, most Apache families were consisted of family groups. In a group, it usually is made of grandparents, unmarried children, married daughters, their husbands, and of course, their children.¹⁰ In the past, most of the Apaches were matrilocal. Married Apache would move and reside with his wife’s family rather than his own family. He would no longer be responsible of his own mother’s family but the family of his wife’s side. Even though a married son would live with his wife’s side, he could never look at his mother-in-law. Whenever he wanted to tell something, he would have to transmit the information by another person. Although being matrilocal was a major issue, nonetheless there were sons, especially ones who were the only born in the family, that brought his wives with him and live with his parents.

Other than the matrilocal system, there is also the matrilineal system in which the descents would be traced through either of his parent’s side. In such a kind of system, an individual would either belong to his mother’s side or his father’s side. If he belonged to his mother’s side, this would be called matrilineal, but if he belonged to his father’s side, he would then be said to be patrilineal. A person would never belong to both sides of his family. The only exception in the past was the Chiricahua Apaches because they were said to be bilateral, treating maternal and paternal relatives the same.

Even today, matrilocal and matrilineal systems both occupy a great role in Apaches’ lives and their social organizations". (11)