A family is a group of persons wherein the husband and wife have legitimized sexual relations. It is the objective of family to procreate. Thus, the family consists of affines and agnates. At the time of marriage, the genealogy of father and mother is taken into consideration. Viewed from this perspective the family is bilateral.
In the patriarchal family, the clan is traced from the father, grandfather, great grandfather and so on. In the matriarchal family, conversely, the clan of mother, grandmother and so on is traced. Thus, the first difference of family and clan is that family is bilateral whereas clan is unilateral.
A family may become extinct because of the lack of a son. Despite the extinction of family, the clan of the family would continue. Therefore, a clan is the combination of a large number of families and descent groups whereas a family consists only of the parents and their children.
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If we trace the origin of family and clan, it could be said that there would have been the appearance of family first and clan later on. It is because of this that the family which does not have a long history might not have a clan system. For instance, among the Kadars, there is total absence of clan system though they have family.
On the other hand, the tribal groups which have long family history, such as Kamar, Baiga and Bhil, there is a clan system. Thus, the institution of family is universal, a clan is not.
The members of a family reside under the same roof, take their meals from the same hearth and have a common purse, whereas the members of a clan do not have this kind of sharing.
The members of a clan are scattered and claim their origin from a common ancestor. Their relationship with the ancestor is largely social and cultural. The only binding force which holds them together is the common ancestor.
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Thus, in any analysis of clan system, the descent system of family cannot be neglected. In a broader way, it could be said that in the structure of clan, family is the smallest unit.