title: Postmarital residence and bilateral kin associations among hunter-gatherers: Pumé foragers living in the best of both worlds.
abstract: Dispersal of individuals from their natal communities at sexual maturity is an important determinant of kin association. In this paper we compare postmarital residence patterns among Pumé foragers of Venezuela to investigate the prevalence of sex-biased vs. bilateral residence. This study complements cross-cultural overviews by examining postmarital kin association in relation to individual, longitudinal data on residence within a forager society. Based on cultural norms, the Pumé have been characterized as matrilocal. Analysis of Pumé marriages over a 25-year period finds a predominant pattern of natalocal residence. We emphasize that natalocality, bilocality, and multilocality accomplish similar ends in maximizing bilateral kin affiliations in contrast to sex-biased residential patterns. Bilateral kin association may be especially important in foraging economies where subsistence activities change throughout the year and large kin networks permit greater potential flexibility in residential mobility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. kkramer@fas.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: Russell D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Greaves
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003469:Culture; D005191:Family Characteristics / Q000208:ethnology*; D005195:Family Relations / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000208:ethnology*; D011157:Population Dynamics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D014687:Venezuela