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Anthropology of kinship |
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Social anthropology Cultural anthropology |
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship[1] and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Clans, in indigenous societies,[which?] were not endogamous: their members could not marry one another.
Clans preceded[citation needed] more centralized forms of community organization and government, and have existed in every country.[citation needed] Members may identify with a coat of arms or other symbol.