{{Short description|Group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent}} {{other uses}} {{redirect|Clansmen|other uses|Clansman (disambiguation)}} {{Anthropology of kinship|concepts}} A '''clan''' is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship<ref name="komal EB1911"> {{cite EB1911|wstitle= Clan|volume=6|pages=419–421}}</ref> and descent. Even if lineage details remain unknown or non-specific, clan members may claim descent from a founding individual or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity.{{efn | In a Taiwanese example, for instance: {{cite book |last1 = Lazzarotti |first1 = Marco |date = 17 July 2020 |chapter = 5.2.2: Chinese Kinship and the Importance of Ancestors' Rites |title = Place, Alterity, and Narration in a Taiwanese Catholic Village |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=aObxDwAAQBAJ |series = Asian Christianity in the Diaspora |publication-place = Cham, Zug |publisher = Springer Nature |page = 107 |doi = 10.1007/978-3-030-43461-8 |isbn = 9783030434618 |access-date = 16 April 2026 |quote = A lineage is an ''organized group'' of descendants of a single, specific ancestor. The ancestor is referred to as an "apical" ancestor because he is at the 'apex' of the genealogy by which the lineage membership is determined, and the descent links to this person are known (or written in a genealogy where they can be looked up). A clan is a property-holding group made up of descendants of an apical ancestor, but the details of the descent lines from that ancestor are unknown. In some cases the apical ancestor is clearly mythical, and in some societies the apical ancestor may even be non-human. }} }} Many societies' exogamy rules are on a clan basis, where all members of one's own clan, or the clans of both parents or even grandparents, are excluded from marriage as incest.

Clans preceded{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} more centralized forms of community organization and government, and have existed in every country.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} Members may identify with a coat of arms or other symbol. Some kinship-based groups may also have a symbol of origin, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor serving as a symbol of the clan's unity. Traditional anthropological thought (as for example in the work of Gerardus van der Leeuw) classified non-human examples of such "ancestors" (frequently animals) as totems.<ref> {{cite book |last1 = Van der Leeuw |first1 = Gerardus |author-link1 = Gerard van der Leeuw |translator-last1 = Turner |translator-first1 = John Evan |translator-link1 = John Evan Turner |date = 14 July 2014 |orig-date = 1933 |chapter = The Sacred 'Conjoined World'. Animals |title = Religion in Essence and Manifestation |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7e3_AwAAQBAJ |series = Princeton Legacy Library |edition = reprint |location = Princeton, New Jersey |publisher = Princeton University Press |pages = 78 - 79 |isbn = 9781400858026 |access-date = 9 April 2026 |quote = With the idea of the powerful animal Totemism is closely connected. It may be true that a totem may also be a plant, or indeed some natural phenomenon; yet '[...] the relationship of man to animal may be regarded as the real core of Totemism'. [...] the well-being of some human community is irrevocably bound up with the totem; and from this we may, but need not neccessarily, (a) infer that the group bears the name of the totem: (b) the totem is accounted its ancestor. }} </ref><ref> {{cite book |last1 = Haviland |first1 = William A. |year = 1981 |orig-date = 1975 |title = Cultural Anthropology |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HCVCF5nqOocC |edition = 3 |publisher = Holt, Rinehart, and Winston |page = 243 |isbn = 9780030578823 |access-date = 9 April 2026 |quote = Clans, lacking the residential unity of lineages, depend on symbols {{em dash}} of animals, plants, natural forces, and objects {{em dash}} to provide members with solidarity [...]. These symbols, called '''totems''', are often associated with the clan's mythical origin [...]. }} </ref>

== Etymology == The word "clan" is derived from the Gaelic word {{lang|gd|clann}}<ref name="komal EB1911" /> meaning "children", "offspring", "progeny" or "descendants". According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the word "clan" was introduced into English in around 1406, as a descriptive label for the organization of society in the Scottish Highlands.<ref>{{cite dictionary |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/clan |title=Clan |dictionary=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref>

None of the Irish and Scottish Gaelic terms for kinship groups is cognate to English ''clan''; Irish and Scottish Gaelic ''{{lang|gd|clann}}'' means "children": * ''{{lang|ga|fine}}'' {{IPA|ga|ˈfʲɪnʲə|}} means (English) "clan" * ''{{lang|ga|teaghlach}}'' means "family" in the sense of the nuclear family, or can include more distant relatives living in the same house * ''{{lang|ga|líon tí}}'' means either "family" in the sense of "household", or everyone who lives in the house, including non-relatives * ''{{lang|ga|muintir}}'' means "family" in the broad sense of "kinsfolk"<ref name="Focloir De Bhaldraithe">{{cite book |last=Ó Dónaill |first=Niall |title=Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla |trans-title=Irish–English Dictionary |year=1992 |publisher=An Gúm |location=Dublin, Ireland |isbn=1-85791-037-0 }}</ref>

== Clans as political units == In different cultures and situations, a clan usually has different meaning than other kin-based groups, such as tribes and bands. Often, the distinguishing factor is that a clan is a smaller, integral part of a larger society such as a tribe, chiefdom, or a state. In some societies, clans may have an official leader such as a chief, matriarch or patriarch; or such leadership role is performed by elders. In others, leadership positions may have to be achieved.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

Examples include Irish, Scottish, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese clans, which exist as distinct social groupings within their respective nations. Note, however, that tribes and bands can also be components of larger societies. The early Norse clans, the {{lang|non|ætter}}, are often translated as "house" or "line". The Biblical ''tribes'' of Israel were composed of many clans.<ref>See, for example, ''1&nbsp;Chronicles''&nbsp;4 and ''Numbers''&nbsp;26 in the Old Testament.</ref> Arab clans are sub-tribal groups within Arab society. Native American and First Nations peoples, often referred to as "tribes", also have clans. For instance, Ojibwa bands are smaller parts of the Ojibwa people or tribe in North America. The many Native American peoples are distinguished by language and culture, and most have clans and bands as the basic kinship organizations. In some cases tribes recognized each other's clans; for instance, both the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes of the Southeast United States had fox and bear clans, who felt a kinship that reached beyond their respective tribes.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

Apart from these different historical traditions of kinship, conceptual confusion arises from colloquial usages of the term. In post-Soviet countries, for example, it is quite common to speak of "clans" in reference to informal networks within the economic and political sphere. This usage reflects the assumption that their members act towards each other in a particularly close and mutually supportive way, approximating the solidarity among kinsmen. Similar usage of the term applies to specific groups of various cultures and nationalities involved in organized crime. Polish clans differ from most others as they are a collection of families who bear the same coat of arms, as opposed to claiming a common descent (see Polish heraldry). There are multiple closely related clans in the Indian subcontinent, especially South India.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

Romani people have many clans which are called ''vitsa'' in Romani.

=== Scottish Clans === [[File:Scottish clan map.png|thumb|190px|Map of Scottish Highland clans and lowland families]] Scottish clans are social groupings that have played a pivotal role in the history and culture of Scotland. Unlike some other clans that focus solely on common descent or a shared coat of arms, Scottish clans are unique in their elaborate systems of tartans, insignias, and mottos. Clan culture in Scotland also extends to community events such as clan gatherings and Highland Games. Each clan may have an official leader known as a "Chieftain" or "Chief."

Members of Scottish clans often have a shared interest in preserving their historical and cultural landmarks, as well as the natural environment and wildlife of Scotland. The clan system in Scotland has also been influenced by key historical events like the Highland Clearances and the Jacobite uprisings, which have left lasting impacts on clan structures and Scottish diaspora.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://clan.com/help/clans-families-crests-insignia|title=The Unique Features and History of Scottish Clans|date=2023-09-29|website=CLAN.com|access-date=2023-09-29}}</ref>

===Irish Clans=== [[File:Irelandmap1500.png|thumb|right|Ireland c. 1500 at the beginning of the Tudor Conquest]] thumb|Ireland about the year 900 Irish Clans are social and kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage based society.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nicholls |first=K |year=2003 |title=Gaelic and Gaelicized Ireland in the Middle Ages |edition=2nd |location=Dublin |publisher=Lilliput Press |pages=8–11}}</ref> A clan (or fine in Irish) included the chief and his patrilineal relatives as well as unrelated clients of the chief.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aitchison |first1=N. B. |title=Kingship, Society, and Sacrality: Rank, Power, and Ideology in Early Medieval Ireland |journal=Traditio |date=1994 |volume=49 |page=46|doi=10.1017/S036215290001299X }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bhreathnach |first1=Edel |title=Ireland in the medieval world, AD 400–1000: Landscape, kingship and religion |date=2014 |publisher=Four Courts Press |isbn=978-1846823428 |page=79}}</ref> Unrelated clients and their descendants were ineligible to be elected chief, but nonetheless assumed the name of the leading lineage to show allegiance.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nash |first1=Catherine |title=Irish origins, Celtic origins |journal=Irish Studies Review |date=2006 |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=11–37|doi=10.1080/09670880500439760 }}</ref>

===Clannism=== '''Clannism''' (in Somali culture, '''qabiilism''')<ref>{{cite book|last1=Farah|first1=Abdulkadir Osman|title=Transnationalism And Civic Engagement|date=25 October 2012|page=25|publisher=Adonis & Abbey Publishers |isbn=9781912234776|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b3goDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22qabiilism%22&pg=PA25}}</ref> is a system of society based on clan affiliation.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Banana|first1=Canaan|title=The church in the struggle for Zimbabwe|date=1996|page=41}}</ref>

The Islamic world, the Near East, North and the Horn of Africa in general, and Somali culture specifically, is patriarchal<ref>{{cite book|last1=Asuelime|first1=Lucky|title=Selected Themes in African Political Studies: Political Conflict and Stability|url=https://archive.org/details/springer_10.1007-978-3-319-06001-9|date=2014|page=[https://archive.org/details/springer_10.1007-978-3-319-06001-9/page/n19 15]|publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-06001-9 }}</ref> and traditionally centered on patrilineal clans or tribes.

===African=== In the African Great Lakes region, the '''clan''' is a unit of social organisation. It is the oldest societal structure in the region, other than family and direct lineage. The structure is found in modern-day Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda.

The term ''clan'' was first used in the nineteenth century by Europeans, due to the similarities to other clan systems found across the world.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=88}} The people of the area use a variety of vernacular terms to describe the concept: ''ubwoko'' in Rwanda, ''umuryango '' in Burundi, ''ruganda'' in the Bunyoro and Buhaya kingdoms, ''igise'' in Buha, ''ishanja'' in Buhavu and ''ebika'' in Buganda.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=89}}

Clans differ somewhat in their nature from country to country: in Rwanda the clan is a very structured unit, with twenty in total, themselves divided into subclans. The same holds in Nkore, which has only four clans.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=89}}

== Clans by continent or region == [[File:The Battle of Culloden.jpg|thumb|The Battle of Culloden of 1746, where British troops defeated the army of Scottish clansmen]] {{Aligned table |class=hlist |col1style=font-weight:bold;padding-right:1.5em;

| Africa | * Diarra (Jara) * Habesha *Great Lakes, * Serer clans (Serer maternal clans, Guelowar, Joos, Njuufeen, Fayeen), * Kalenjin ortinuek, * Somali clans * Tswana people * Clans of the Baganda

| Americas | * Anishinaabe, * Cherokee, * Iroquois, * Muscogee clans, * Navajo clans * Omaha clans,

| Asia | * Central Asian, * Baloch, * Ao Naga, * Angami Naga, * Bon-gwan&nbsp;(Korean names), * Chinese (family name) * Japanese, * Luwang, * Mangang, * Punti, * Khuman Salai, * Angom, * Moilang, * Kha Nganpa, * Salai Leishangthem, * Kazakh, * Manchu&nbsp;(names), * Minangkabau&nbsp;(names), * Mongolian, * Ngoche, * Pashtun

| South Asia | * Ahir, * Arain, * Bania, * Bhuiyar, * Bunt, * Chero, * Gakhars, * Gotra, * Gurjar {{smaller|(Gujjar)}}, * Dhangar {{smaller|(Gadariya)}}, * Jatav * Jat, * Khatri, * Kshatriya, * Chowdary, * Reddy, * Maratha, * Meena, * Mukkulathor, * Nai, * Nair, * Patidar, * Paraiyar, * Rajput, * Sengunthar, * Tarkhan, * Vellalar, * Yadav

| Middle East | * Arab, * Israelite, * Parthian, * Kurdish, * Syriac

| Eurasia{{nobold|{{sup|a}}}} | * Armenian, * Bashkir, * Chechen, * Lezgin, * Nakhchivani, * Turkish, * Russian, * Yeraz

| Europe | * Spanish nobles, * Irish, * Irish and Scottish septs, * Brussels, * Irish and Scottish Chiefs of the Name, * Norse, * Polish, * Scottish (Scottish clan chief), * Armigerous, * Albanian, * Montenegrin, * German nobles, * French nobles

| Oceania | * Rapa Nui, * Māori }}<!--(end Aligned table)--> {{resize|95%|{{sup|a}} Meaning the transcontinental area between Asia and Europe.}}

== See also == * Feud * Caste * Gotra system in India * Clan (video gaming) * Endogamy * Extended family * Uradel

==Notes== {{reflist}}

== Footnotes == {{notelist}}

==References== {{refbegin}}* {{cite book |last=Chrétien |first=Jean-Pierre |year=2003 |title=The Great Lakes of Africa: Two Thousand Years of History |edition=Hardcover |location=Cambridge, MA |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=1-890951-34-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ezo5PQAACAAJ |access-date=2010-10-18 }} {{refend}}

{{Family}} {{Ethnicity}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Clans