Ancestral Line Chapter Summary

In the book Ancestral Line: The Maisin of Papua New Guinea and The Fate of The Rainforest by John Barker a concept that connects this book to what have been learned in class is the idea of kinship. I will be discussing what kinship and it’s two main components are, and how they relate to the book. Kinship is studied primarily in social and cultural anthropology. While there is no concise definition for what kinship means in the field of anthropology it can generally be thought of as the relationships within a society that are usually based off of blood or marriage. These two things in some way shape or form are recognized in nearly every society. Links of kinship form off the basis of property rights, division of labor, and political organization

Liniages groups are usually smaller and unnamed. Through lineage, they pass down property, tools, hunting equipment, drums and other items. If a man doesn’t have sons to pass these things down to then they are given to the sons of their brother. Clans are larger, named, and seen as permanent. Clans are comprised of all the descendants of at least two lineages. Elders in a clan can link the present day members of the clan back to the founding ancestors of the clan. This can become complicated so it is typical for people to the accept the clan that their father belonged to as their own

He is basically saying that the way they treat their kin and the union of clans are of the utmost importance. Being successful in those two thing was equivalent to being successful at life which. This is a stark contrast to the values of western cultures where career success and material objects are seen as the number one indication of success in life. To the Maisin, to have succeeded in life is to have a success in both major aspects of kinship. It is also important to note that while marriage has other implications, that the happiness of those involved in the marriage is also