The Evolution of Plains Indian Kin Terminologies:

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Abstract
The striking similarity in basic terminological pattern among Plains tribes, and the absence of this pattern elsewhere in North America, is not accounted for by existing general theories of the evolution of kin terminologies. The development of this pattern is explained here in terms of a theory which abandons the assumption that terminological patterns are reflections of social structure. It is argued that the basic process in this development was the tactical or metaphoric extension of sibling terms to cross-cousins as a response to the increased importance of solidarity under the conditions of Plains life, and the subsequent incorporation of this extension into the meanings of the sibling terms. This hypothesis not only accounts for the distribution of terminological patterns in the Plains area, but illuminates the general relationship of kin terminology to social structure.

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