Maintenance of Social Relationships

Abstract

In this chapter I indicate the way in which the Wanggulam maintain social relationships by making prestations and counter-prestations. They explain the present rights and obligations they have towards each other as resulting from former prestations and the idea of a relationship not validated by a flow of prestations seems foreign to them. A Wanggulam man expressed this by saying: ‘When you stop giving each other things, you soon drift apart’. Analysis of rights and obligations as they actually occur between kin or neighbours often shows that they do not arise from the kin relationship or co-residence only, but that they too are links in a chain of reciprocated prestations. Nor, for instance, is the size of the prestations between kinsmen determined by their positions in the system of kinship relationships. However, it seems to me that the Wanggulam are inclined to overemphasise the extent to which they are free to decide for themselves whether or not to render prestations towards kin or neighbours. A man who decides not to render prestations is likely to suffer disadvantages. If he needs help, his kin and/or neighbours may well be unwilling to render prestations to him. Furthermore his kin and neighbours may distrust him, interpreting his uncooperativeness as a sign of disfavour. Finally, one important category of prestations consists of contributions to wedding payments and compensations. A man who consistently fails to contribute to these payments is regarded as a starveling and is held in very low esteem.