What is a clan-fam?

Question

While reading through The Gunslinger, I came across the following line in the 2nd paragraph of Chapter 5:

sullen, inbred clan-fams, toiling silently in the fields by day.

I googled the term and it apparently has no (obvious) meaning. I also thought it might have been a typo of my e-version (originally corn-farms, perhaps?), but the link on Google Books I just posted has the same expression, so it seems unlikely. I'm guessing it is just an in-universe term.

What are clan-fams?

Please avoid spoilers regarding the book's plot. If necessary, use the spoiler tag in your answer.

Answer 1

While not ever actually explained, this is almost assuredly a portmanteau of "clan" and "family".

It refers to families of farmers who have inbred, creating small pocket clans that are largely self-sufficient and self-propagating.