ABSTRACT
Affinity is conceived in terms of the translation of women, both physically and ritually, from one descent group to another. Descent groups connected by marriage are affines (mitir) of one another. Affinal ties usually persist for two generations. A son-in-law is required to visit his wife’s parents at least three times a year at the seasonal festivals, and his children will know and visit their mother’s house where their maternal uncle lives. The tie then lapses: very few men know the natal village of their father’s mother. The depth of affinal relationships is not, therefore, great. But as all descent groups to whom a daughter has been given or from whom a daughter-in-law has been taken are considered affines, the range of affinal relationships at any one time is extensive.
