Elementary structure of kinship remains restricted to a small descent group which is found all over the world. It has been the first and primary structure of relationship and, therefore, it is elementary.
The structure becomes complex the day the son or daughter is married. Levi-Strauss has defined complex structure of kinship as under:
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Complex systems add further relationships to the four fundamental ones as determining factors in marriage.
What is particular about the difference between elementary structures and complex structures is that in elementary structures the rules of marriage are positive. They not only specify whom one cannot marry but also whom one can marry.
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In the complex structures there are negative rules only and are therefore unable to create long-term alliances between kin groups.
The mother’s brother is an important character in Levi-Strauss’ kinship pattern. Granted the universality of incest prohibition and that men control women, the breeding of children ultimately depends on his willingness to give away his sister.
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It is because of this that Strauss argues that the relationship between a man” and his maternal uncle is crucial. “If the spouses are intimate, the wife will have a distanced relationship with her brother and vice-versa.
If one has a close, tender relationship with one’s maternal uncle, the father will be a strict and severe person and vice-versa.”