The Persistence of Social Structure and Status in Indigenous Reservations

Abstract

Kinship systems have played a central role in defining individuals' positions within indigenous societies. This paper studies the evolution of the kinship system of Chile's Mapuche people since their forced settlement. The results reveal that patrilineal inheritance, a key component of Mapuche's kinship system, has been significantly eroded. Nevertheless, the status of lineages has persisted across generations: members of lineages whose heads held prominent positions a century ago have a higher relative status today. These results illustrate that status can persist even when key components of the social structure that gave rise to it do not.

Keywords: Kinship systems, Indigenous reservation, Persistence

JEL Classification: N0, Z13