Rethinking xinguano kinship: elements for a computational analysis of a multiethnic network

Abstract

The aim of this project is to systematize and analyze, in an initial and exploratory way, the genealogical information currently available on the peoples of the Upper Xingu, starting from materials already published or gathered in censuses. By organizing the data on a standardized digital database, we intend to evaluate how existing data, based on genealogies of local groups, can be used to compose a single and extensive network. We intend to investigate, with the use of computational tools, the main characteristics of this network, paying special attention to the place of interethnic marriages in its composition. In an exploratory analysis with the PUCK and Pajek softwares, we intend to: (1) identify the frequency of interethnic marriages in each local group included in the base; (2) identify the most recurrent interethnic alliances, investigating the possible existence of endogamic clusters that extend beyond the boundaries of local groups; and (3) map the most recurrent types of marriage circuits in this network, giving special attention to those involving people from different peoples.