A phratry is an anthropological term for a kinship division consisting of two or more distinct clans which are considered as single unit, but which retain separate indentities with the phratry.
In pre-Classical Greece, each tribe (phyle) was divided into phratries. In the Classical era, the phratries evolved into formal territorial divisions of the Athenian state.
Among native Americans, a phratry was often identified by an animal sign. In some cultures, such as the Tlingit, intermarriage between phratries was mandated.
