article
Tongan adoption before the constitution of 1875
Ethnohistory • 20 • Published In 1974 • Pages: 109-123
By: Urbanowicz, Charles Francis.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This paper presents 'descriptive and interpretive data on aboriginal adoption transactions in Tonga' and attempts to point out that 'aboriginal Tonga is certainly not twentieth century Tonga' and that the period before the adoption of the Constitution of 1875 is a very different one from today (p. 119). Urbanowicz discusses four Tongan institutions that are frequently confused, only one of which should be considered adoption. One only involves child care, one involves name-giving, and one involves name-giving and status changing. Actual adoption involves both a residential and status change. Adoption was an important aspect of aboriginal Tongan society and served to tie various kin groups together among the nobility. The Constitution eliminated the possibility of inheritance by adopted children thus eliminating much of the value of adoption. Urbanowicz criticizes a number of others who have written on Tonga for failing to notice the distinction in the four institutions he discusses.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Inheritance
- Naming
- Status, role, and prestige
- Manipulative mobility
- Adoption
- Form and rules of government
- Child care
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Tongans
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2006
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Oceania
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Polynesia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Martin J. Malone; 1978
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- July-Oct. 1970 - Aug.-Oct. 1971
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1800-1875
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Tonga
- NotesAdditional notes
- Charles Francis Urbanowicz
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-123)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 57043343
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Tongans