Marriages are usually arranged by the parents. Occasionally, a mother arranges for her daughter to elope. Membership in a family is traced through the father. In turn, the family has membership in a clan. These clans are then grouped by language distinctions into tribes.
Individuals have responsibilities to each level of kinship.
Although marriages are not permitted between members of the same clan, partners must be of the same tribe. A wife becomes part of her husband's clan upon marriage and, from that time on, as a rule, never mentions her parents' names again. The Ingush are a relatively tall Caucasian people who usually wear Western-style clothing. The Ingush enjoy music, dancing, wood carving, weaving, and felt-making. The Ingush have maintained their cultural identity through their families and religion.