ADOPTING CHANGE: RELATIONAL FLEXIBILITY AS VICE AND VIRTUE ON MOTA ISLAND, VANUATU

Authors

Thorgeir Storesund Kolshus, Oslo University CollegeFollow

Abstract

On the island of Mota in the Banks Islands, children and adults frequently have their matrilineal and even matrimoiety affiliation, and consequently kin relations, altered and multiplied through various forms of adoption. Most of the 850 Motese count themselves as belonging to several kin groups. This creates personalized kin inventories for each individual. Consequently, an element of choice concerning which relation to emphasize is intrinsic to the Motese kinship system. In this paper, some of the reasons and motivations for these choices are outlined. The traditional flexibility of social relations, with their associated transfer of rights and obligations, also proves beneficial in a situation where an increasing number of matrilines are facing shortage of land due to population growth. However, a new tendency seems to emerge: the relational ambiguity that follows from the many cross-cutting ties is thematized in disputes over land allocation, pointing toward an increasing emphasis on exclusive relationships in this situation of mounting relative scarcity and impact of cash cropping.

Recommended Citation

Kolshus, Thorgeir Storesund (2008) "ADOPTING CHANGE: RELATIONAL FLEXIBILITY AS VICE AND VIRTUE ON MOTA ISLAND, VANUATU," Pacific Studies: Vol. 31: No. 4, Article 4.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol31/iss4/4