What Role Does Kinship Play in Indigenous Practices of Sharing - Essay Example

Kinship and Sharing in Indigenous Australian people Name Institution Course Date Kinship and Sharing in Indigenous Australian People Introduction The indigenous people of Australia have a special relationship with each other. Kinship is valued among the people and it determines most of the actions of the people. Sharing is one of the aspects that are common among the indigenous people in Australia (Altman, 2009). It is common for the people to share both tangible and non tangible materials. This has been going on for more than a century. Although the practice of sharing has been influenced by the colonialism, it is still common among the indigenous people. The practice of sharing can be traced back when the people were hunters and gatherers. The sharing process served an important purpose in the community. Kinship was also highly valued in the society and it guided the lifestyle of the Indigenous people. The elders are the leaders of the society and they were responsible for the rules and regulations in the society including the sharing practice. Kinship served the purpose of uniting the people and hence the close relationship that the people enjoyed. In most cases, the people were regarded as an extended family due to the kinship issues. It has thus been a common practice for the indigenous people to value the issues of kinship as it influences the sharing practice. However, sharing is different from the generosity issues as receiver has to be genuine. The paper thus discusses the role of kinship in the sharing process among the indigenous people in Australia. Roles of Kinship in Sharing Kinship plays an important role in terms of setting the rules of sharing process. Although it is common among the indigenous people, it is also important to note that there are rules and regulations associated with the sharing process. The kinship concepts are used to determine the limits of sharing. This is because sharing is limited to some extent and to some people. The people from different ages may not share the tangible materials as the kinship rules define the boundaries. The kinship rules determines who the elder members of the society can share with. In most cases, the elder members of the society may be restricted from sharing with the young members of the society. A young member of the society or a youth may not ask for materials from the elder member of the society. However the elder member of the society may receive materials from the youth. This is an indication that sharing is guided by the principles of kinship. On the other hand, the sharing of knowledge may be different. This is because the elders may share their knowledge with the youth. The kinship networks are also extensive and complex in nature. This is because some of the members are close and others are distant. The kinship rules are thus used for the purpose of defining how the sharing process should be conducted among the members of the kin. In most cases, sharing is common among the members who are close. Kinship therefore plays an important role in terms of defining the rules to be followed when sharing (McConvell, 2013). The kinship principles define how the sharing of some of the materials should be done. This is common when it comes to money. The sharing of money is not an act of generosity and the receiver has to refund back the money loaned. According to the kinship principles, the money should be returned to the after a certain period of time. The kinship principles define how the money should be returned and in most cases, the money should be returned when asked. In some instances, the receiver may not have the money when asked to repay. The kinship rules and principles are thus applicable in such situations. On the other hand, it is also through the principles of kinship that the people can engage in certain functions. Sharing is important in functions such as funerals. It is always common for people to make contributions during the funerals. The kinship principles play an important role in defining who should contribute what and who should not contribute. The kinship principles ensure that the people who are affected do not bear much cost during the funeral. The kinship principles thus guides how sharing will be done during the occasion. The roles of each member of the kin with regard to the sharing process during such occasions are always defined by the kinship principles. This is an indication that the kinship principles guides the daily lives of the people includes what roles they should play in terms of sharing at different occasions (Bird, et al, 2012). The kinship principles also play a significant role in terms of defining the personal ownership of the properties by individuals during sharing. Personal properties are recognized under the principles of kinship. It defines the rights that the owners of the properties have and thus defining the limits of sharing the properties. Although the kinship principles encourage the process of sharing, it also puts in place measures to ensure that the owners of the properties are not exploited during the process of sharing. The personal integrity is also one of the concepts that are guided by the kinship principles during the sharing of the personal properties. Continuous testing in terms of relations is encouraged by the principles in terms of sharing the personal properties (Lea, 2012). The sharing process is closely associated with power to those who give. The givers may end up becoming more powerful as they win more praises for the people who receive. This means that some people may end up becoming more powerful than the other due to their act of giving. The principles of kinship are therefore for the purpose of maintaining a balance. It sets limits as to what extent one should give. This is important in terms of ensuring that those who receive are also genuine. The kinship principles also encourage everyone to share as opposed to a certain group of people only. This also reduces the chances of some people from being overdependence on the others. The kinship principles thus encourage the people to give and receive in equal measures and hence creating a balance during the process (Fisher, 2009). The kinship principles are for the purposes of uniting the people together and hence encouraging the process of sharing. However it also puts in place measures to discourage people from becoming beggars. This is because some of the people may end up spending their resources carelessly with the perception that they will receive assistance from the others. The kinship principles thus ensure that such people are not assisted during the sharing process. They can only be given food as the principles of kinship emphasizes that food should be given to anyone in need. Other people are also selfish and do not give hence inconveniencing other people. The kinship principles thus ensure that such people are dealt with. The members of the kin may end up disowning the people who are selfish and those that depend on the others (Cowlishaw, 2012). This ensures that the sharing process is not misused by the people. The kinship principles are also important in terms of defining the relationship among the people during the process of sharing. This ensures that the members of the kin are closely working together and also respect each other. The sharing process is thus considered important. The concepts also ensure that the people do not place more emphasis on the materials as opposed to their relationship. This reduces the incidences of people becoming too attached to their properties and ends up forgetting their kins or other members of the society. The kinship principles among the indigenous people therefore play a leading role in terms of ensuring that the people are able to forge closer ties with each other through the sharing process (Keen, 2013). The kinship principles are for the purpose of ensuring that the people are autonomous and also responsible. The autonomy is achieved by the givers and the receivers during the process of sharing. Once the giver has shared a certain item, they have no autonomy over the item. However, the receiver gains autonomy of the item. However, the autonomy comes with responsibilities. The receiver has to abide by the rules of sharing which is emphasized by the kinship principles. All the terms and conditions have to be followed by the receiver and the giver during the sharing process. The giver should not gain too much power as a result of the sharing s the item will be repaid by the receiver. The giver also has a right to request for items from the other members of the society. This therefore creates a balance during the sharing process. The sharing process is thus important for the members of the society and is meant to bring the kin members closer through their actions. On the other hand, kinship is for the purposes of ensuring that the process is only done when it is necessary. This means that the receiver has to be responsible in order for them to be according the required help. In most cases, those people that are not responsible receive help from the kin members. This is for the purpose of encouraging the people to be responsible and encourages them to be givers as opposed to being receivers (Breen, et al, 2012). Leadership plays an important role in terms of kinship among the indigenous people. The kinship principles require the leaders to be mindful of the needs of the people. The people who are active in terms of giving are perceived to be good leaders. Sharing thus enables the members of the society to identify the leaders within the society. The kinship principles therefore influences the choice of leaders based on the behaviors when it comes to sharing. It is also important to note that most of the leaders in the indigenous society in Australia are givers. The people who are committed to the needs and welfare of the others are highly regarded among the indigenous people of Australia. Such people can only be rewarded through the leadership position which comes with the prestige and power. Such people will always be mindful of the needs of the people and hence gaining respect. Kinship therefore influences the leadership process through the sharing abilities of the people. The principles of kinship thus ensure that the community is able to identify leaders who will take care of their plights. This is through their actions in terms of sharing. The kinship principles are also used to identify the indigenous people from the non-indigenous people. This is because the practices of sharing are common among the indigenous people as opposed to those who are non-indigenous. The kinship principles are thus important in terms of creating the identity of the people in the society in terms of sharing (Mauss, 2010). Kinship plays an important role in terms of solving conflicts during the sharing process. Some of the people may refuse to share and hence leading to conflicts. This is common among the people during drinking parties. Some of the people refuse to share their drinks with the other people and hence resulting to conflicts. In other instances, the people may breach the kinship principles and hence resulting to disputes. The refusal to share is considered rude among the indigenous people and thus leading to the conflict. A resolution is thus required for the purpose of solving the conflicts emanating from the sharing. In other instances, some o the people may not have he required resources and hence their refusal to share. These are some of the issues that kinship principles seek to address when solving the problems associated with sharing. Those who do not have the adequate resources to share are considered genuine. However, those who have resources and refuse to share are considered rude. The members of the kin may end up disowning such a member. In other instances, an individual may refuse to share an item because the item is not theirs. This may lead to conflicts as some of the people who do not understand the refusal for sharing may end up in conflict with the particular person. It is for this reason that the kinship principles are required for the purpose of resolving conflicts that arises during the sharing practice (Dussart, 2000). Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the principles of kinship guide the sharing process among the members of the indigenous society in Australia. The kinship principles set the rules that should be followed by the individuals during the sharing process. It is also apparent that the kinship principles are for the purposes of ensuring that the sharing process does not turn out to be exploitative. On the hand, the kinship principles are used to select the leaders in the society based on their sharing practices. This is an indication that the indigenous people of Australia value the qualities of leadership. The principles of sharing are influenced by the kinship principles as it may lad to a member of a kin being disowned due to their selfishness and refusal to share. Conflict resolution in terms of sharing is also influenced by the principles of sharing. This is important in monitoring the process and hence ensuring that the members are not exploited or engage in misunderstandings. References McConvell, P, 2013,"The Descent of Morgan in Australia: Kinship Representation from the Australian Colonies," Structure and Dynamics: eJournal of Anthropological and Related Sciences. Breen, H, et al, 2012, “Meanings of Aboriginal gambling across New South Wales, Australia," International Gambling Studies 12.2:243-256. Mauss, M, 2010, Christmas gifts and kin networks, University of Virginia. Keen, I, 2013, "The Legacy of Radcliffe-Brown's Typology of Australian Aboriginal Kinship Systems," Structure and Dynamics: eJournal of Anthropological and Related Sciences 6.1. Fisher, D, 2009, "Mediating kinship: country, family, and radio in Northern Australia." Cultural Anthropology 24.2:280-312. 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