In order to comprehend the Omaha, Crow, and Iroquois naming systems, it is important to first understand a common distinction made between types of cousins in societies following unilineal descent. For the majority of people in contemporary Europe and the Americas whose cultures use the descent principle, these cousin differences seem to be irrelevant and unnecessary. However, they are logical and easy to understand when viewed in their cultural context. Show Parallel cousins are ego's father's brother's children and mother's sister's children. In contrast, cross cousins are ego's father's sister's children and mother's brother's children. In other words, there is a crossing of gender in the parent generation with cross cousins but not with parallel ones. The gender of the cousin is not relevant in making this distinction.
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