﻿Vol.2] 
  CONTEMPORARY 
  QUECHUA 
  — 
  MISHKIN 
  449 
  

  

  The 
  composition 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  group 
  varies 
  considerably. 
  Within 
  

   a 
  family 
  compound 
  there 
  are 
  usually 
  found 
  one 
  set 
  of 
  grandparents, 
  

   the 
  parents 
  — 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  the 
  father's 
  brother 
  and 
  his 
  immediate 
  

   family— 
  and 
  the 
  children. 
  Where 
  the 
  household 
  plot 
  is 
  small, 
  the 
  

   family 
  compound 
  is 
  necessarily 
  incapable 
  of 
  unlimited 
  expansion. 
  

   Hence, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  residents 
  in 
  the 
  compound 
  is 
  accordingly 
  lim- 
  

   ited 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  house 
  units 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  built 
  on 
  the 
  household 
  

   ground. 
  As 
  younger 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  marry 
  they 
  are 
  compelled 
  

   to 
  build 
  houses 
  in 
  other 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  village. 
  If 
  the 
  distance 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  houses 
  is 
  at 
  all 
  sizable, 
  as 
  it 
  often 
  is, 
  the 
  younger 
  offshoots 
  of 
  

   the 
  family 
  tend 
  to 
  establish 
  independent 
  identity 
  and 
  function 
  as 
  

   separate 
  family 
  units. 
  

  

  "Residence 
  is 
  thus 
  an 
  important 
  factor 
  in 
  determining 
  the 
  compo- 
  

   sition 
  of 
  the 
  functional 
  family 
  group 
  and, 
  since 
  living 
  space 
  is 
  restric- 
  

   ted, 
  this 
  group 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  include 
  few 
  adult 
  members. 
  In 
  many 
  

   communities, 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  family 
  units 
  are 
  conjugal 
  families. 
  

   Even 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  or 
  dispersed 
  villages, 
  where 
  each 
  family 
  resides 
  in 
  

   the 
  midst 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  arable 
  land 
  and 
  considerable 
  space 
  for 
  expansion 
  

   is 
  available, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  residents 
  in 
  a 
  common 
  compound 
  is 
  def- 
  

   initely 
  limited. 
  Parts 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  group 
  are 
  constantly 
  breaking 
  off 
  

   either 
  to 
  build 
  houses 
  on 
  the 
  fringe 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  tract 
  of 
  land 
  or 
  to 
  seek 
  

   house 
  plots 
  in 
  another 
  tract. 
  The 
  new 
  household 
  forms 
  associations 
  

   with 
  others 
  nearest 
  it. 
  In 
  due 
  course, 
  close 
  economic 
  and 
  social 
  

   ties 
  with 
  the 
  different 
  family 
  groups 
  in 
  its 
  vicinity 
  become 
  as 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  as 
  relations 
  within 
  the 
  extended 
  family. 
  Family 
  obligations 
  

   and 
  ties, 
  however, 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  annihilated. 
  

  

  The 
  primary 
  land 
  divisions 
  are 
  the 
  family 
  holdings. 
  Each 
  family 
  

   possesses 
  its 
  tract 
  within 
  the 
  various 
  sections 
  of 
  community 
  land 
  (see 
  

   agriculture) 
  , 
  and 
  apportions 
  plots 
  for 
  working 
  by 
  the 
  individual 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  The 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  may 
  divide 
  the 
  family 
  

   land 
  as 
  he 
  sees 
  fit, 
  either 
  on 
  a 
  temporary 
  or 
  permanent 
  basis. 
  Nor- 
  

   mally, 
  if 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  plots 
  is 
  sufficient 
  to 
  satisfy 
  the 
  family 
  needs, 
  

   all 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  are 
  united 
  around 
  that 
  central 
  core 
  of 
  

   community 
  life— 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  land. 
  The 
  defense 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  and 
  

   its 
  working 
  is 
  first 
  and 
  foremost 
  a 
  family 
  matter, 
  and 
  each 
  individual 
  

   is 
  obliged 
  to 
  cooperate 
  with 
  the 
  others. 
  These 
  reciprocal 
  obligations 
  

   cannot 
  be 
  ignored, 
  especially 
  as 
  they 
  concern 
  labor 
  exchange. 
  Work 
  

   in 
  aine 
  is 
  founded 
  on 
  the 
  principle 
  of 
  family 
  cohesion. 
  

  

  The 
  family 
  head, 
  in 
  whom 
  the 
  ownership 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  vested, 
  

   stands 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  relationship 
  toward 
  the 
  adult 
  members 
  of 
  his 
  family. 
  

   For 
  since 
  the 
  family 
  acts 
  as 
  a 
  unit 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  landholding, 
  it 
  

   similarly 
  must 
  unite 
  around 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  This 
  favored 
  

   position 
  in 
  the 
  family 
  is 
  expressed 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  his 
  authority 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  obligations 
  for 
  providing 
  labor 
  to 
  work 
  his 
  fields. 
  Each 
  

  

  