article

Kinship organisation and behaviour in a contemporary Tongan village

journal of the Polynesian Society75 • Published In 1966 • Pages: 141-176

By: Aoyagi, Machiko.

Abstract
This is a 'descriptive study on the kinship organisation and behaviour of Tongan commoners in a contemporary Tongan village' (p. 141). It is specifically in contrast to the findings of Gifford (document #1) on kinship among the nobility. Commoners are organized into bilateral 'famili,' loose kindreds drawn upon as they are needed, and lack the unilineal 'ha'a' of the nobility, which Gifford thought were characteristic of all Tongan society. Aoyagi discusses the structure of the village, household composition, post-marital residence, the kindreds-famili and kāinga, and their functions, religion, land use, marriage regulation, kinship terminology and norms of kin behavior between the various dyad, e.g., husband and wife, uncle and nephew, etc. sleeping places, name giving, weddings, funerals, and the rather loose internal stratification of the village.
Subjects
Real property
Naming
Status, role, and prestige
Visiting and hospitality
Nuptials
Residence
Household
Family
Family relationships
Kinship terminology
Kin relationships
Avuncular and nepotic relatives
Kindreds and ramages
Lineages
Community structure
Community heads
Burial practices and funerals
Religious denominations
Organized ceremonial
culture
Tongans
HRAF PubDate
2006
Region
Oceania
Sub Region
Polynesia
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Martin J. Malone; Eleanor C. Swanson; 1978
Field Date
July 1962 - Feb. 1963, Tonga; Nov. 1962 - Jan. 1963, Nukuleka
Coverage Date
1960s
Coverage Place
Nukuleka village, Tongatapu Island, Tonga
Notes
Machiko Aoyagi
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
08012644
LCSH
Tongans