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Descent

Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia - Cite This Source

descent, in anthropology, method of classifying individuals in terms of their various kinship connections. Matrilineal and patrilineal descent refer to the mother's or father's sib (or other group), respectively. Bilateral descent refers to descent derived from both sibs equally. Descent groups are of basic significance in the social structure of most nonindustrial societies. They constitute a series of social groups that dominate the domestic organization and the process of socialization, the use and transfer of property, the settlement of disputes, religious activities such as ancestor worship, and certain political relationships. Some lineage systems extend to the limits of the society itself. The Tiv of E Nigeria, for example, all consider themselves descendants in the male line of an eponymous ancestor, and the genealogy of this progeny defines the complete outline of descent group structure.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004, Columbia University Press.
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Descent

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

Descent may refer to:

In film:

  • The Descent, a horror film
  • The Descent 2, the upcoming sequel to the Neil Marshall film, The Descent
  • Descent, a thriller film starring Rosario Dawson
  • Descent, a television film on the Sci-Fi Channel

In gaming:

  • Descent (computer game), the first game in a series of a 3D first-person shooter computer games developed by Parallax Software and Outrage Entertainment, best known for introducing 6DOF movement.

* Descent II, originally planned as an expansion but ending up becoming the sequel to Descent. It retained the same game engine but benefited from enhancements.
* Descent³, the sequel to Descent II which featured a new game engine with graphical techniques like portal rendering, procedural texturing and advanced lighting. It was the final game in the series.
* Descent: FreeSpace — The Great War, a computer game developed by Volition Inc, one of the succeeding developers after Parallax split up. "Descent" was used mainly for naming purposes as "FreeSpace" was trademarked, and despite the initial planned storyline crossover, has nothing to do with the Descent 6DOF series.

In literature:

In television:

Homophone:

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Last updated on Monday February 11, 2008 at 09:54:20 PST (GMT -0800)
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