Friends,Neighbors,and Relations: the Practice of Kinship in Waipu,New Zealand,1857-1917

Abstract

Aspects of the practice of kinship in a Highland Scots community in nineteenth- century New Zealand are examined through archival and oral historical sources. Although the word clann does not appear in the written vocabulary of these settlers there is evidence that the extended family was central to settlement patterns and to support systems throughout the life course. It is further suggested that support extended to those beyond the circle of "close" kin to include friends, acquaintances, and others in need, especially when these were children. The study concludes that a biologistic model of kinship does not fit the evidence from Waipu and that the settlers had a wider and more fluid concept of appropriate people toward whom "kinship" could and should be practiced.