Cross Cousin is an anthropological term describing kin who are in the same descent group as the subject (ego) and are from the parent's opposite-sexed sibling. Simply put, a cross cousin is a first cousin who is the child of the mother's brother (maternal uncle's child) or of the father's sister (paternal aunt's child).

The role of cross cousins is especially important in some cultures (such as the Iroquois system) where marriage is promoted between them and the subject (ego). In a patrilineal culture (such as the Omaha system), cross cousins are the subject's father's sister's children. In a matrilineality (such as the Crow system), cross cousins are the subject's mother's brother's children.

See also

• Kinship and Descent
• Family
• Genealogy

Sources and External links

• Matrilineal and Patrilineal Kin at the University of Manitoba
• Cross-Cousin Marriage at the University of Manitoba
• Kin Naming Systems at Palomar College

Kinship and descent