Palu'e - Kinship



Kin Groups and Descent. Society on Palu'e is housebased in that individual houses, nua, constitute the localized minimal descent groups. A nua is mostly coincident with the physical structure of a house. Membership in a house is acquired by way of patrilineal descent or adoption. Members share a set of ancestral names, privileges and obligations, ritual offices, and access to land and resources, as well as ritual prohibitions. The core of larger groups, kunu (coconut husk), is constituted by houses tracing descent to common ancestors. The kunu can, however, also incorporate houses of different ancestral origin. Genealogical knowledge generally does not extend over more than two to three generations.

Kinship Terminology. The relationship terminology is neither clearly lineal nor cognatic, but shows mixed characteristics.


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