Premium
Land Use and the Extended Family in Moala, Fiji 1
Author(s) -
SAHLINS MARSHALL D.
Publication year - 1957
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1957.59.3.02a00040
Subject(s) - citation , george (robot) , ethnography , sociology , library science , field (mathematics) , media studies , history , anthropology , art history , computer science , mathematics , pure mathematics
T HE hypothesis of this paper is that the traditional extended family organization of Moala Island, Fiji, depends for its continued existence on particular customs of land tenure and land use; that when these customs change, the familial form tends to change. An analysis of the family in two contemporary villages will show that in one, Keteira, the traditional family structure has been largely maintained, while in the second, Naroi, it barely survives. It is submitted that exploitation of scattered land resources in Keteira is responsible for the continuance of the extended family there, while dependence on land only in the environs of the village has contributed to the emergence of the independent nuclear family in Naroi. It is concluded that the patterns of land use are necessary determining conditions of familial structure in Moala.