Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. Land and lineage: the articulation of social and physical space in an atoll village A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology at Massey University Peter Stanton King 1996 / / ii Abstract This thesis examines relationships between the social and physical environments of a village on Butaritari atoll in Kiribati. The system of ambilineal descent and land inheritance obtaining there results in complex networks of genealogical relationships which affect most aspects of social life, including land rights. While previous studies conducted in Kiribati have recognised the intimate connection between genealogy and land rights, none has investigated its ramifications for the distribution of land rights within a community. In contrast, this study engages that question as a central concern using a framework which integrates Bourdieu's concepts of social space, field and habitus with post-neo-Darwinian ideas about the relationship between organism and environment. The social space was found to be primarily structured by relationships based upon genealogy and secondarily by age and gender, each of which constituted a field within the wider social space. The genealogical field was defined by a network of positions, each representing a particular descent group. In accordance with the prevailing system of ambilineal descent, residents could belong to more than one descent group and it was upon the resulting networks of relationships between -descent groups that the disposition of those groups within the genealogical field was defined. Because land-use rights were associated with genealogical connections the reconstruction of the genealogical field encompassing all of the village residents was a necessary precursor to discovering the distribution of those rights and the genealogical field was a central point of articulation between the social and physical spaces. The fields of age and gender relations provided further points of articulation between the social and physical spaces, the natures of which are examined through discussion of the material culture of the village and village and island politics. Despite a contemporary ideology of egalitarianism there were vestiges of a former hierarchy of social status groups. While the inter-group obligations, rights and responsibilities associated with this hierarchy were no longer practised, the association of contemporary residents with those social status groups bore a relationship to their position within the genealogical field and the amounts of land to which they shared rights. iii Preface and acknowledgements. This thesis examines the proposition that the aspects of reality commonly termed "society" and "nature" can be conceptualised as spaces, social space and physical space, and that the investigation of relationships between the social and natural realms can be approached in terms of the articulation of those two varieties of space. The proposition is examined through a case study focusing upona village on Butaritari atoll in Kiribati. The choice of Kiribati as a place to conduct fieldwork was based upon several factors. The first was associated with my having worked there for seven years between 1978 and 1985 during which time I became proficient in the I-Kiribati language and familiar with the culture and way of life of the people. The second factor was, by happy coincidence, the availability there of small relatively self-contained communities in which to conduct fieldwork. In choosing a village on Butaritari I took advantage of relationships developed over ten years earlier while working on Butaritari as an independent trader in local produce. Except where otherwise indicated, the data upon which this thesis is based was obtained by me from residents of Kuma. At the time this thesis was submitted, one academic paper based upon aspects of the research had been published (King, 1995). While conducting this study I have received assistance from many people and it is a pleasure to acknowledge their contributions. It is sometimes difficult to decide upon an appropriate order in which to make acknowledgements, but in this case I have decided to acknowledge iv individuals and groups in an order which reflects their position in relation to the social and physical spaces with which the study is concerned. First to receive acknowledgement, therefore, are the people of Kuma, without whose willingness to participate this study would never have been conducted. I am particularly grateful to the members of the Natirea Village Council in Kuma for their kind hospitality. From among the many Kuma people, who cannot be mentioned individually for want of space, I must single out Nan Ibutuna whose generous sharing of his knowledge of tradition and genealogy was invaluable. My easy and rapid entry into Kuma was facilitated by my oid friends Nan Binauea and the late Na Uan who accompanied me to Kuma from Butaritari on my first visit. Thanks are due to the Clerk of the Butaritari Land Court, for allowing me ready access to the Butaritari land records, to officials of the Land Office on Tarawa for allowing me access to records they held and to the staff of the Kiribati National Archives for their cooperation. I must thank the Government of Kiribati for granting me permission to conduct the study. For hospitality while on Tarawa I am grateful to my oid friends Mike Fudakowski and Robin White. This study has been made possible by material supportfrom several sources. Firstly I am grateful for the support of Professor Gregor McLennan and the Department of Sociology at Massey University in which I was given office space, employment for three years and financial assistance towards fieldwork. From Massey University I received a stipend and two grants from the Graduate Research Fund. The travel associated with fieldwork was made possible by a New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade International Assistance Research Grant. v Special thanks must go to my supervisors, Associate Professors Brian A. Ponter and Richard Harker for their encouragement and timely comment · on previous drafts of the material in this thesis. I am particularly grateful to Brian for his academic support and encouragement over a number of years. In addition, I must acknowledge the helpful suggestions made by Dr S. Ganesalingam as I investigated ways of representing the genealogical field. Professor Barrie Macdonald kindly allowed me to peruse copies which he had made of some original documents. Finally, to my wife, Mary and our children, Elizabeth and Jonathan, I express my gratitude for their support, encouragement and tolerance during the three years spent conducting this study and particularly during my six months absence while conducting fieldwork in Kiribati. Contents Abstract· ii Preface and acknowledgements iii Linguistic note xi Note on orthography xii Glossary. xiii Chapter One: Introduction 1 The physical context. 3 The social context. 14 Ambilineal descent and land tenure. 17 Conceptual issues. 24 Structure of the thesis. 26 Chapter Two: Theory and conceptualisation 28 Introduction 28 The theoretical object 33 Social practice 46 The field 55 Space 57 Ecology and practice: an integration 61 Summary. 65 Chapter Three: Methods and methodology 69 Introduction 69 Theoretical considerations 71 The delineation of fields, data and methods of collection 79 Reflections on methodology 93 Summary 95 Chapter Four: The genealogical field 98 Introduction 98 Constructing the genealogical field 105 Representing the genealogical space 113 The properties of the genealogical field 117 Socialising and borrowing 123 Rite of passage feasts 125 Babai pit pledging 135 Symbolic capital, movement and strategy in the genealogical field 141 The articulation of the genealogical field and physical space 143 Summary 145 Chapter Five: Land tenure 149 Introduction 149 Aspects of the pre-colonial system of land tenure 153 The development of the contemporary system of land tenure 158 The distribution of land use rights in contemporary Kuma 166 Summary 192 Chapter Six: The political fields 196 Introduction 196 Island politics 198 Village politics 205 Summary 237 Chapter Seven: Material culture 241 Introduction 241 Building 244 Food acquisition and production 257 Social isation 276 Summary 280 Chapter Eight: Conclusions 285 The articulation of social and physical space 285 In defence of method 297 Appendixes One. The distribution among households of land area and plots associated with the former social strata. 299 Two. Names and recorded places of residence of absentee landholders. 302 Three. Land distribution among descent groups. 303 Four. Distribution of land among members of a toka descent group. 305 Five. The distribution of land plots among the members of the largest descent group in Kuma. 306 Six. Household composition. 307 Seven. Distribution of Descent group members among households connected with Kuma's two village councils, Natirea and Taubatua. 310 Eight Descent group founders 314 Nine List of Butaritari land plots 317 Ten List of Kuma residents and households 332 Eleven Schematic map of Kuma land plots and households 342 Twelve Inter-descent group links 343 Bibliography 344 Tables 4.1. Th� numerical distribution of people among the zones of the genealogical space. 119 5. 1. The distribution of land among Kuma residents. 167 5.2. The distribution of land among households. 168 5.3. Recorded places of residence of absentee landholders. 171 5.4. Distribution of land, landholders and former social strata among the zones of the genealogical field. 174 5.5. Distribution of land plots among the descendants of Nei Bareia and Nan lakabo. 184 6.1. The frequency distribution of household membership numbers. 211 6.2. Types of household demographic composition and their frequency of occurrence. 212 6.3. The distribution of religious affiliation of residents by village section.