Vendetta

Vendetta, practice of a family taking vengeance on a person or persons who have harmed one of its members. Vengeance may be taken in kind, that is, an eye for an eye, and may also be taken on one of the offender's relatives. An established institution in many non-industrial cultures, the vendetta served to punish crimes in societies where governments did not yet exist, or where they were greatly distrusted. It was practised particularly in Corsica and Sicily, where it was part of the code of the secret society of the Mafia. A form of vendetta used to be common in certain areas of the southern United States, where it was known as a feud.