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[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]
"W V E. . I1 A .
l. t; ;. 1 ,. i.’ A l_ KINSHIP ORGANIZATION IN NORTH~WEST 107 terms for child, sister's child (m.s.), brother's child (w.s.), and grandchild are extended in a similar way ; the reciprocal term for all the people called " father ", “ mother ", and vave being netungk, except for the husband’s sister’s son, who, because he may one day marry the woman, is called " husband " ; the reciprocal for all those addressed as bimbi being metela ; and for bumbu " grandparent â€ù, being mmmbungk “ grandchild ". An analysis of these anomalous groupings will show them to be logically connected with the customary marriage of a man with the widow of his maternal uncle, their " dependence â€ù on this marriage being only more highly developed here than in the other kinship systems described in Malekula. As in Seniang the range of the kinship terminology is very wide, and is such that every individual in the district applies a classiï¬Åcatory term to every other. It follows, therefore, that a man marrying within the district must alwaystake as wife a woman whom he addresses as a' relative. The application of a relationship term to anyone of the opposite sex being per se a bar to marriage, an expiatory pig must be paid to “ wipe out â€ù this relationship and make the union possible. The payment of such a pig is here termed runsumsur nages, and is quite distinct from the payment of pigs as bride-price for the woman. Tna RIGHTS AND Du-rnas or RELAT!vES The Mother's Brother As elsewhere in Malekula, the mother's brother plays an important part in the life of his sister’s son, and on certain ceremonial occasions he is the recipient of gifts from the boy's father. Thus, when the childis born the father gives the mother's brother a pig, and informs him of the event; when it is old enough the mother's brother gives the child its ï¬Årst drink, and for this service receives a further pig. Yet another is given to him on the occasion of his sister’s son ï¬Årst wearing the penis sheath when he is secluded in the loghor, and while the boy is here it is only his rnother’s brother who may come and visit him ; were his father to do so the boy would die. These duties and privileges are said to be those of the bimbi, and though
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