Kinship In Nigeria has the following functions;

(1)Kinship assigns guidelines for interactions between per­sons. It defines proper, acceptable role relationship between father- daughter, brother-sister etc.

(2)Kinship determines family line relationships, gotra and kula.

(3)Kinship decides who can marry with whom and where marital relationship are taboo.

(4)Kinship helps us to determine the rights and obligations of the members in all the sacraments and religious practices starting from birth to death.

(5)Kinship system maintains solidarity of relationships.

(6)In rural and tribal societies kinship or kinship relations de­termine the rights and obligations of the family and marriage, system of production and political power.

(7)Kinship through its different usages regulates the behaviour of different kin.

(8)Kinship helps in (through kinship terms) designating kin of various types such as classificatory and descriptive.

(9)Kinship through its usages creates special groupings of kin.

(10)Kinship rules govern the role relationships among kins.

(11)Kinship acts as a regulator of social life.

(12)Kinship influences ownership of land, concept of wealth and the system of production and its use.