There are six possible ways of kin group membership:

1. Patrilineal:

Transmission of membership and/or resources takes place unilineally through the father’s lineage.

2. Matrilineal:

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Transmission of membership and/or resources takes place unilineally through the mother’s lineage.

3. Double:

Some resources are transmitted through the father’s line­age, others through the mother’s lineage. The two lineages are kept separate.

4. Cognatic:

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Resources can be transmitted through kin on both mother’s and father’s sides (bilaterally).

5. Parallel:

In this, men transmit to their sons and women to their daughters. This is, however, a rare form.

6. Crossing or alternating:

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Another rare variety which represents the opposite of the previous one: men transmit to their daughters and women to their sons.

Of the above, the first two principles are generally applicable, whereas the remaining four are exceptional only. “This simplistic ty­pology should not lead anyone to believe that, for instance, persons in patrilineal societies are not related to their mother’s relatives.

Practi­cally, all kinship systems organize kin relations on both the mother’s and the father’s sides, although rights, names and group membership frequently give priority to one side. In a patrilineal society, one’s com­mitment to the father’s lineage is, in most situations, stronger than one’s commitment to the mother’s.”