Ritual impurity and kinship in a Gypsy <i>osada</i> in eastern Slovakia

Abstract

The article deals with the classification of the family formations in Gypsy osadas in eastern Slovakia. Three basic types of kin group, which differ in extent, structure and function, can be distinguished in Gypsy osadas. The first group is the nuclear family, which includes two to three generations, consisting of parents and their children. This group usually maintains a common household. The second type of family described in the article we call 'complex family'. It is defined as a group consisting of nuclear families of parents together with nuclear families of their adult sons. The complex family is usually patrilinear and the prevailing pattern of post-marital residency is patrilocality. The last and the largest kin group, the fajta, is a kind of lineage usually maintained in patrilinear descent. It is the largest social group in the Gypsy osada.