Documenting kinship systems in Alor-Pantar, eastern Indonesia

Gary HoltonUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks

ICLDC, Honolulu, 28 March 2013

Some questions

lWhy Alor-Pantar?¡little-known group of languages¡Papuan outlier of as-yet unknown origin

lWhy Kinship?¡important sub-domain of language¡can inform linguistic prehistory

lWhy Documentation?¡highly susceptible to erosion¡difficult for linguists¡often neglected

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Overview

lbackground on Alor-Pantarldescription of kinship system in one AP

language (Western Pantar)lcomparison across four AP languages

¡ascending terminology¡sibling/cousin terminology

lconclusions¡implications for Alor-Pantar prehistory¡implications for language documentation

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Caveats

l This is not a de"nitive study of kinship in Alor-Pantar.

l Originally motivated by investigations into prehistory.

l Rather, this is a preliminary study based primarily on survey data from genealogies.

l Much ambiguity in existing data (published and unpublished)¡“older relative, FBC, FZC, FMZCC,

FMBCC, FFZCC, FFBCC, MMZCC, etc.”

¡“kakak laki-laki” 4

Location

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Alor-Pantar languages

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Alor Island

Pantar Island10 km

Linguistic prehistory

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lCultural distinctiveness (Anonymous 1914)l Structural/lexical similarities (Stokhof 1975)lReconstruction (Holton et al. 2012)lPossible link with Bomberai but little support for

Trans-New Guinea (Robinson & Holton 2012b)lPhylogenetic studies suggest radiation from

Pantar Strait, but modern cultures agricultural and montane (Robinson & Holton 2012a)

l Signi"cant variation in alignment properties across the family (Fedden et al. 2013)

Kinship, exchange, marriage

lmarriage¡patrilocal¡patrilineal, though mother’s clan plays

signi"cant role in marriage negotiations¡preference for cross-cousin marriage*

lexchange ¡bride-givers receive most¡token payment to bride-receivers¡bride payment must include moko¡full payment rare, thus maintaining

inter-generational debt between clans8

Economy

lPrimarily subsistence agriculturelSwidden system requires large communal

labor efforts three times per year (land clearing, planting, harvesting)

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Comparative kinship systems

l Western Pantar (Holton 2008)

l Teiwa (Klamer 2010, Robinson 2011)

l Adang (Robinson 2011)

l Kamang (Stokhof 1977, Schapper 2011)

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Western Pantar

Adang

Kamang

10 km

Teiwa

Western Pantar ascending/descending

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-iar F, FB-iu M, MZ-irasi MB, WF-irasi manne FZ-wake C, ♂BC, ♀ZC-airas ♂ZC, ♀BC

niar ‘my father’hiar ‘your father’giar ‘her/his father’

Western Pantar ascending

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niar niu nirasiniarnirasimanne

niu

Western Pantar descending

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nawake nawakenawake nawake

nikkar /niaku

naipang

nairas nairas

Western Pantar descending

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nawake nawake nawake nawake

ni’e /niaku

naiyang

nairas nairas

Western Pantar +0° siblings/cousins

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-ikkar ♂eB-i’e ♀eZ-iaku ♂yB, ♀yZ-aipang ♂Z-aiyang ♀B-’ar ♂FZS, ♂MBS-ingtamme ♀FZD, ♀MBD-baddang ♂FZD, ♂MBD, ♀FZS, ♀MBD

Western Pantar +0° siblings/cousins

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ningtamme

ningtamme

nabaddang

nabaddang

ni’e/niaku*

ni’e/niaku

ni’e/niaku*

naiyang naiyangnaiyang

na’ar

nabaddang

nabaddangna’arnikkar/niaku

nikkar/niaku*

nikkar/niaku*

naipang naipangnaipang

l single “marriageable” term -baddang

l gender-speci"c terms for other cross-cousins -ingtamme / -’ar

Western Pantar descending

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nawake nawake nawake nawake

ni’e /niaku

naiyang

nairas nairas

Western Pantar affines

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narunabaddang‘o.s. cross-cousin’

ningtamm

enabaddang

naiyang

ni’e/niaku

Western Pantar descending

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nawake nawakenawake nawake

nikkar /niaku

naipang

nairas nairas

nawake

na’ar

naipang

nawake

Western Pantar

lmore distant relationships

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na’ar

niarniar

Western Pantar exchange

l wallang ‘opposite clan’ (‘suku lawan’)l synonym for gabaddang ‘opp. sex cross-cousin’,

essentially, ‘marriageable’ l another synonym: nai tane ‘my one’s body’l spouse treated “as if” gabaddang, but distinction is

noted¡gabaddang haila

l true cross-cousins belonging to opposite clans (lit. ‘base’)

¡gabaddang wang gaminingl assumed cross-cousins, not opposite clans (lit. ‘included’)

l extended to more distant siblings¡gaiyang haila / gaiyang wang gamining 23

Western Pantar: summary

l standard average bifurcate merging system

l slight imbalance in that FZ derived from MB

l marriage rules tied closely to kinship

l similar systems common regionally

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n-oma’ na-xala’(sam/uwaad)n-umer

n-oma’(sam/uwaad)

na-xaler na-xala’

niar niu nirasiniarnirasimanne

niu

Western Pantar

Teiwa

Ascending terms: comparison

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niming niwi nimingselniming

niwisel

niwi

nepaa noukoela

noukoela

nepaanouko nouko

Adang

Kamang

Ascending terminology: lexicon

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F FB FZ M MZ MB

WP -iar -iar -irasi manne -iu -iu -irasi

Teiwa -oma-oma (sam/

uwaad)-xaler -xala’

xala’ (sam/

uwaad)-ian

Adang -iming -iming -wi sel -iwi -iwi -iming sel

Kamang -paa -paa -ouko -ouko -ouko ela -paa ela

Ascending terminology: summary

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lWP¡[F, FB] [M, MZ] [MB, (FZ)]¡FZ = ‘female MB’

l Teiwa¡[F, FB] [M, MZ] [MB] [FZ]

lAdang¡[F, FB, (MB)] [M, MZ, (FZ)]¡MB = ‘F sel’, FZ = ‘M sel’

l Kamang¡[F, FB, (MB)] [M, FZ, (MZ)]¡MZ = ‘maternal F’, MB = ‘maternal M’

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Western Pantar +0° siblings/cousins

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-ikkar ♂eB-i’e ♀eZ-iaku ♂yB, ♀yZ-aipang ♂Z-aiyang ♀B-’ar ♂FZS, ♂MBS-ingtamme ♀FZD, ♀MBD-baddang ♂FZD, ♂MBD, ♀FZS, ♀MBD

Teiwa +0° siblings/cousins

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-gas qai ♂Z, ♀yZ-ian qai ♀B, ♂yB-qau ♂eB, ♀eZ-ian ♀MBD, ♀FZS, ♂MBS, (♂FZS)-dias ♀MBS, ♀FZS-bruman ♂MBD, (♂FZD)

Teiwa +0° siblings/cousins

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-ian -bruman-bruman -ian-gas qai -gas qai-qau/-ian qai

-qau/-ian qai-gas qai-qau/-ian qai

-dias -ian-ian -dias-ian qai-ian qai -qau/-gas qai-qau/

-gas qai-ian qai -qau/

-gas qai

l gender-speci"c “marriageable” terms

l single term for other cross-cousins

Adang +0° siblings/cousins

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-matu ♂eB, ♀eZ

-di’i ♂yB, ♀yZ

-uding ♂Z, ♀B

*at least one speaker usesmotu/di’i throughout

Adang +0° siblings/cousins

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l no distinct cousin term

-uding -uding -matu/-di’i

-matu/-di’i

-uding-matu/-di’i

-uding-matu/-di’i

-uding-matu/-di’i

Kamang +0° siblings/cousins

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-naka ♂eB, ♀eZ

-kak ♂yB, ♀yZ

-naut kang ♂Z, ♀B

-namuk ♂FBS/FZS, ♀FBD/FZD

-naut ♂FBD/FZD, ♀FBS/FZS

-naut ela ♂MBS/FZS, ♀FBD/FZD

Kamang +0° siblings/cousins

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l distinguishes paternal side; no cross-cousins

l competition between age-based (-naka/-kak) and gender-based (-namuk/-naut)

-naut -nautela

-namuk -naut -naka kang/-kak kang

-naka ela/-kak ela

-naka ela/-kak ela

-namuk -nautela

-nautkang

Sibling terminology: lexicon

lWP¡-ikkar, -i’e, -iaku, -aipang, -aiyang,-’ar, -ingtamme,

-baddang

lTeiwa¡-gas qai, -ian qai, -qau, -ian, -dias, -bruman

lAdang¡-motu, -di’i, -uding

lKamang¡-naka, -kak, -naut kang, -namuk, -naut, -naut ela

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Sibling terminology: summary

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agedistinction

gender distinction

cross-cousins marriageable

maternal/paternal

WPsame-sex siblings/parallel cousins

siblings,same-sex

cross-cousins

✔ single term ✗

Teiwasame-sex siblings/parallel cousins

siblings, opp.-sex

cross-cousins

✔ gender-based ✗

Adang same-sex siblings siblings ✗ ✗ ✗

Kamang maternal same-sexsibling,

maternal cousins

✗ ✗ ✔

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Implications for Alor-Pantar prehistory

l very little reconstructable vocabulary¡*-mam ‘father’ re$ected in only 2 of 4 languages¡Adang sibling terms likely innovated based on ‘eldest’ and

‘youngest’¡quali"ers ‘left’, ‘right’, ‘child’

l robust cross-cousin systems found in 2 of the 4 languages, both on Pantar

l exchange system prevails across the islands in spite of radical differences in kinship¡may indicate that cross-cousin system is a recent diffusion

l we need more data40

Implications for language documentation

l Closely related languages can show signi"cant variation in kinship systems

l Genealogies are necessary but not sufficient

l Kinship must be understood (and documented) within cultural contexts as functional systems

l Linguists need more training, more interdisciplinary collaboration

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References

l Fedden, S., D. Brown, G. Corbett, G. Holton, M. Klamer, L.C. Robinson & A. Schapper. 2013. Conditions on pronominal marking in the Alor-Pantar languages. Linguistics 51(1).33-74.

l Holton, G., M. Klamer, F. Kratochvíl, L.C. Robinson & A. Schapper. 2012. The historical relation of the Papuan languages of Alor and Pantar. Oceanic Linguistics 51(1).87-122.

l Holton, G. & M. Lamma Koly. 2008. Kamus Pengantar Bahasa Pantar Barat. Kupang, Indonesia: UBB-GMIT.

l Klamer, M. 2010. A Grammar of Teiwa. Berlin: Mouton.l Robinson, L.C. 2011. [Unpublished "eld notes on Alor-Pantar languages]. l Robinson, L.C. & G. Holton. 2012. Internal classi"cation of the Alor-Pantar language family using

computational methods applied to the lexicon. Language Dynamics and Change 2(2).123-49.l Robinson, L.C. & G. Holton. 2012. Reassessing the wider genetic affiliations of the Timor-Alor-

Pantar languages History, Contact and Classi!cation of Papuan Languages, ed. by H. Hammarström & W. van der Heuvel, 59-87. (Language and Linguistics in Melanesia, Special Issue 2012 Part I). Port Moresby: Linguistic Society of New Guinea.

l Schapper, A. & M. Manimau. 2011. Kamus Pengantar Bahasa Kamang-Indonesia-Inggris. Kupang, Indonesia: Unit Bahasa dan Budaya.

l Stokhof, W.A.L. 1975. Preliminary notes on the Alor and Pantar languages (East Indonesia). Canberra: Australian National University.

l Stokhof, W.A.L. 1977. Woisika I: An Ethnographic Introduction. Canberra: Australian National University.

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Acknowledgements

lMr. Mahalalel Lamma KolylLaura C. RobinsonlMarian KlamerlAntoinette Schapper