essay

Kinship and contiguity: variation in social alignments among the Semporna Bajau Laut

societies of borneo : explorations in the theory of cognatic social structure (6) • Published In 1976 • Pages: 40-65

By: Sather, Clifford.

Abstract
This is a discussion of how Sama-Bajau household heads establish enduring economic and political relations with other households and groups by drawing on both residence and cognatic ties as complementary principles of social organization. This strategy arises primarily from the recurrent movement of households and boat-dwelling groups between dispersal into fishing crews at sea to aggregation in a boathouse village at the shoreline. The presentation highlights a range of economic settings and cultural obligations where both neighborhood and kinship serve as important principles behind mutual aid and resource sharing. In emphasizing the complementarity of kinship and locality, the author criticizes earlier anthropologists for regarding them as separate principles of social organization.
Subjects
Settlement patterns
Kin relationships
Kindreds and ramages
Bilineal kin groups
Community structure
Inter-community relations
Family relationships
Household
Extended families
Labor supply and employment
Mutual aid
Gift giving
Organized ceremonial
Visiting and hospitality
Functional and adaptational interpretations
culture
Sama-Bajau
Region
Asia
Sub Region
Southeast Asia
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Anthropologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Teferi Abate Adem
Field Date
1964-1965; 1974
Coverage Date
1964-1965
Coverage Place
Semporna district, Sabah, Malaysia
Notes
Clifford A. Sather
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
76378136
LCSH
Bajau (Southeast Asian people)