Based on two years' field research, this book gives an account of kinship and ceremonial exchange in a village in Nias. The book introduces a unique form of marriage alliance which represents a link between elementary and complex social systems, and then provides an account of the feast of merit.

The island of Nias in Indonesia is renowned for its "feasts of merit". In pursuit of prestige and a noble title, a Nias chief must slaughter scores of pigs and give away a lifetime's wealth. Based on two years' field research, this book gives an account of kinship and ceremonial exchange in a village of the interior. The first part introduces a unique form of marriage alliance which represents, arguably, a link between elementary and complex social systems and has important implications for kinship theory. The second part contains an account of the feast of merit, a widely-occurring South-East Asian institution. Andrew Beatty's analysis sheds new light on the relation between gift exchange, status, and power, and he gives equal attention to the pragmatic and ideological concerns of the participants. Through case histories and ethnographic description he shows how exchange is involved in all that is most fundamental to life in Nias: the acquisition of prosperity, the creation of alliances and networks of support, the promotion of rank and prestige, and the assurance of salvation.