[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]
CHAPTER III KINSHIP ORGANIZATION IN THE SOUTH-WEST The social organization throughout the coastal districts of Malekula, and, so fa.'r as is known, also inland among the bush FOLK, is based upon the division of the community into a number of local, patrilineal, exogamous descent groups or clans. The records of these different districts vary considerably both as to clarity and completeness, ranging from the detailed account of the social structure of Seniang in the south-west, to a bare list of kinship terms from the inland districts of Nesan and Niviar. SBNIANG, WILEMP, AND MEWUN Though there are some cultural and linguistic differences between Wilemp and Seniang and many striking ones between Seniang and Mewun, as well as an attitude of traditional hostility, yet, because of frequent intermarriage and the interchange of social obligations between them, these three districts must be considered together. - THE Cums The people are divided into a number of exogarnous clans the members of each of which trace their descent from some one village or locality. Thesegroups are referred to as " nimbasar isii ", that is " one village ". Thus, one would inquire of a man to what clan he belonged by saying : " N chem win nimbasur isii tinungkP â€ù-(" the name of village one thy P â€ù). No other term was found to describe this local kinship group. Descent is patrilineal, and before the disintegrating influence of European contact had disturbed the social life of the people, the male members of a clan all resided in the village or locality in which their fathers, fathers’ fathers, and fathers‘ fathers’ fathers had lived before them, While the women of each such group went at marriage to live in the localities of their husbands’ clans.‘ To-day,
