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Indigenous household, kinship and family: some findings from Panama, Bolivia and Chile for improving census data.: 

Indigenous household, kinship and family: some findings from Panama, Bolivia and Chile for improving census data. Ana María Oyarce Fabiana Del Popolo CELADE-División de Población IAOS Satélite Meeting New Zealand 14-15 April 2005

Rationale: 

Rationale Since the 80’s it has been an increasing demand to develop statistics to identify indigenous people in Latin America. It has been estimated that exists around 400 indigenous groups with near to 40 millions people The data available, although fragmented, shows more poverty, less income and schooling, minor life expectancy, more child and maternal mortality, as well as less access to safe and clean water. The challenge is to develop culturally appropriate statistics to characterize indigenous population in general and household / family in particular (criteria, definitions, heterogeneity, bias) Important to consider is that indigenous households and kinship are impacted by acculturation, displacement and globalization, as well as by ethnic resistance, revitalization and inter ethnic marriage: a dynamic and heterogeneous situation

Objectives: 

Objectives To explore the census strength and weakness for capturing indigenous household and family in Panama, Bolivia and Chile To propose a mixed methodology, which could combines the census with a qualitative approach for improving census on indigenous household, kinship and family

Basic census definitions: 

Basic census definitions House: a building, which is structurally separated or united, with an independent entrance, and that has been built or arranged for temporary or permanent lodging, or as any class of fixed or movable shelter. Household depends on the arrangements adopted by the people (individually or in groups) for the supplying of foods and other essential articles for their living ( people eat together, share a fireplace, or needs are satisfied from a common budget) Family is “reconstructed” through the relations (by blood, adoption or marriage) with a person categorized as a household head. It can be more than 1 household in one house, and 1 family in a I household But a family cannot have more than 1 house, nor a household can have more than 1 house

A sociocultural perspective on indigenous household, kinship and family.: 

A sociocultural perspective on indigenous household, kinship and family. Kinship is a basic organization principle presents in all societies. Each culture has developed an enormous kinship diversity according rules of marriage, descendence, and residence. There are many types of kinship and family, with many different meanings. “The problem of defining household and family clearly illustrates the need to get at meaning” (Scrimshaw, 1991, pp 243)

Western/ Indigenous models : 

Western/ Indigenous models Family is one among other social organizations, which conform the social structure. Its role has been dismissed by the domination of the market economy and the state provision of social services (education and health, among others). Marriage: one woman and one man Kinship and family units are the social organization and the social structure. They have a wide range of functions and works as basic unit of production, political and religious representation Marriage: alliance between groups

Table 1Marriage, descendence, residence, and family : 

Table 1 Marriage, descendence, residence, and family

Figure 1Western - indigenous models: 

Figure 1 Western - indigenous models Nuclear household 1 household: 1 house 1 family: 1 house Extended household 1 household: 2 or more houses? 1 family: 2 or more households?

Methodological discussion : 

Methodological discussion There are at least, two important limitations in the census for capturing indigenous households, kinship and family The ethnocentric bias: the assumption that the western family is an universal category and could be applied to any population all over the world The dichotomous and static nature of the household and family definitions with no room for a dynamic approach, necessary in a multicultural and connected world.

Methodological discussion : 

Methodological discussion The statistical reconstruction of indigenous households Indigenous household is a constructed category by the ethnic condition of the household head. The household head ethnic condition is captured by an individual question Examples: Bolivia (census 2001): a combination of the three criteria: spoken language, maternal language and self- identification as indigenous. Chile (census 2002) and Panama (census 2000) self-identification.

Table 2Bolivia. Chile, PanamaTotal population, indigenous populations and percentages of urban population, by ethnic condition (2000 round censuses): 

Table 2 Bolivia. Chile, Panama Total population, indigenous populations and percentages of urban population, by ethnic condition (2000 round censuses) Source: special data processing on the 2000 censuses.

Population, household head and other members ethnic conditions: trends and heterogeneity : 

Population, household head and other members ethnic conditions: trends and heterogeneity In most of the cases the household head ethnic conditions agrees with the other members ethnic identification Chile and Bolivia are more “mixed”: 11% and 37.5% of the non-indigenous population resides in indigenous headed-households Panama, the household head ethnic condition is coincident with the spouse ethnic condition (93%) In Bolivia and Chile these inter ethnic union are more frequent, Bolivia: 15 % of non-indigenous households head are united to a native person. Chile: 48% of indigenous household head are united with a non-indigenous person Little is known about the arrangements, relation, interactions and ethnic negotiations within these households

Contribution of qualitative “emic” approach for strengthening the census data: 

Contribution of qualitative “emic” approach for strengthening the census data Taking into account the “emic” indigenous point of view could strength the census in three aspects: Defining appropriate units of analysis, that is with meaning for the subjects, Clarifying the nature of the wrong answer and wrong question bias Capturing the dynamic perspective of the kinship and family.

Slide14: 

Figure 2: Latin America (three countries): household distribution according type and household head ethnic conditions. 2000 censuses

Family typologies and ethnocentric bias: 

Family typologies and ethnocentric bias The censuses show an heterogeneous situation It is possible to identify a trend: extended family in indigenous population and nuclear family in non-indigenous people Extended family could correspond, more or less, to the old lineages, present in the traditional social organization They are more prevalent in Panama (57%) and less in Bolivia and Chile (28 % and 24%). In Chile and Bolivia, nuclear family are almost 50% in indigenous and non indigenous population Because of ethnocentric bias, we do not know to what extended the nuclear households respond to a changing process or are “artifacts” of the census instrument

Validating indigenous local kinship and household definitions: Ngöbe and Kuna people : 

Validating indigenous local kinship and household definitions: Ngöbe and Kuna people We carried out workshops with indigenous leaders, to understand local categories, get at meaning and make sense of the census results: Household is the space where we all gather, receive information of what has happened during the day, receive historical information. Before sleeping our grandparents spoke, our grandmothers start talking, we are asleep but we are listening to the message of those who talk about our stories, about our behavior, and it is part of the educational process, ... I would say that the cultural issue is extremely important (Kuna woman) The Ngöbe kinship Ngöbe and family are wide, our culture has a polygamy base for preservation... my kinship and family has two hundred members, it’s ties of blood… we value big families, it is a selfish person one who wants to have only one child and wants to give all to that child (Ngöbe woman) The other important thing for us is the matter of collectively and solidarity; that is why it is so hard for us , indigenous people, to separate Ngöbe woman) How does the census represent and how it could incorporate these emic definitions?

Female headed-household : 

Female headed-household

Female household head: clarifying the wrong question bias: 

Female household head: clarifying the wrong question bias The census data for Bolivia and Chile show that a 30 % of households head are women In Panama, the female household head among the indigenous is 17 % compared with 25 % in non- indigenous. Besides, in the ethnic group Ngöbe is 24 % compared with 17 % among the Kuna people However, these findings seem contradictory because Kuna people are bilateral and matrilocal and Ngöbe patrilocal and patrilineal

Validating Kuna female household head:: 

Validating Kuna female household head: The importance of the right question in the native language When interpreted in Kuna [when translating to Kuna the census question about head of household]... the Kuna language refers to man, it’s not possible an interpretation in Kuna that it is a woman…so she is going to say that it’s her son or her husband or her father ( Kuna woman) Nowadays it’s women who carry the lead, as you would say, but I think this happens {the important numbers of male household head} because of the simple fact that in indigenous households [when researchers ask] who is the head of the kinship and family? [People answer] The eldest, that means the father or the grandfather, so I imagine that is why it comes out like that..., but in real life it’s not quite like that (Kuna woman).

Findings/methodological proposition: 

Findings/methodological proposition

Final discussion : 

Final discussion The census strength resides in its national coverage, and that it allows to develop households typologies Panama, Bolivia and Chile censuses reveal inter and intra ethnic variation among household members However, because of the ethnocentric bias and fixed definitions based on structural characteristics, the census is limited to capture the functional and dynamic nature of the indigenous households and family . Combining census with a qualitative approach could highlight a dynamical and social perspective on indigenous households, which in fact is the indigenous household and family meaning Also it could explain how family members confront to global economy ( displacement, demographic pressure over land and discrimination) and respond by ethnic revitalization, self determination and resilience The challenge is how to design culturally appropriate measurement to describe indigenous households inequalities and risk factors; capturing at the same time some protective factors like solidarity, reciprocity, and cooperation, which exist within them