Question

What is lineage?

Answer 1

The term lineage is closely related to clan and is identified by the ancestors – either male ancestors or female ancestors who used to live at least four to six generations before the said individual.

Complete answer:
Lineage is a unilineal group of individuals who can trace their ancestry to a common ancestor who used to live on the Earth at least four to six generations ago. The lineage is mainly divided into two parts – maternal lineage and the paternal lineage.
The maternal lineage is the tracing back of the ancestors through the female members and are identified by the genes of the mother. The property rights and descendance is governed by the female child in a matrilineal setup.
The paternal lineage is the tracing back of the ancestors through the male members of the family. The members are believed to be of the family of the fathers and the property rights are governed and transferred by the male kin of the family.
For Example: The Rajputs in India have several lineages amongst them such as the Chauhans of Ajmer, the Sisodias of Mewar, the Paramaras of Malwa, However, all these lineages group together to form a clan called the Rajput Clan. Similarly, the Maratha Clan of India has the Holkars of Indore and the Scindias of Gwalior as the major lineages.

Note:
The lineage is a type of lower groupism to a clan. In case of a clan, there is grouping of people of several lineages and the people have a common ancestor through matrilineal as well as patrilineal lineages.