Compassion, kinship and fosterage: Contexts for the care of the childless elderly in a Polynesian community.

This paper discusses the social condition of the childless elderly on Sikaiana, a small-scale Polynesian community in the Solomon Islands. This discussion includes a broader examination of Sikaiana expectations and understandings about kinship, parenting, aging, and caring. High rates of fosterage, diffuse kinship obligations and membership in patrilineages provide the networks of relationships that determine care for the elderly. Moreover, Sikaiana is a relatively undifferentiated and personal community making it possible for the elderly, both with and without children, to remain cared for and involved in community activities. Future research should examine how care for the elderly in this and other small-scale communities is affected by increased participation in emigration, formal education, cash economy, and occupational specialization.