Going Tribal - Mancillas

"Tribe" is often used as a derogatory term for preliterate, indigenous, non-Western societies, before the development of, or outside of, states. In this blog I am using "tribe" in its ethnographic meaning: a group organized largely on the basis of kinship, sharing common values and way of life, with a strong sense of identity.

Mancillas are my in-laws. My kids like to talk about them, and what makes them special, and can not avoid comparing Mancillas with my own extended family ("B" tribe), trying to get a better understanding of close-knitted, Latino extended families.

The Mancillas, of African-Peruvian descent, live in the Coast. Their diet is comprised by fish, rice, potatoes and vegetables with increased consumption of chicken and processed foods.

Although a growing number has attended college, graduation rate is not high and the proportion practicing their profession is even lower. Mancillas have limited mobility both in geographic and socioeconomic scales. Most have not traveled abroad, some still live in the same household where they were born.

Mancillas have a rich oral communication. Even those abroad communicate several times a week. Using phone cards, they can held long distance calls straight for several hours, literarly.

Mancillas are very religious and attend church regularly. Divorce rate is low. They are not engaged in political parties or political activism whatsoever. Mancillas enjoy music, dance and entertain family and friends and share food.

Mancillas, much as Latino extended families living in the US, pool their resources to pay bills, help their young to reach education, chip their resources to cover the needs of those who are uninsured, old, sick or poor. Those bearing a disproportionate load seem fatigued, and while still interested in their kin's daily lives, sometimes are either unable or unwilling to continue provide effective assistance.

While family support is useful to cope with difficult life stages (adolescence, loss of a relative, sick, or unemployed), continuous and intensive family involvement may sometimes rob a young person of the opportunity of learning from his/her own mistakes, when they do not have yet dependants, and the consequences of errors -like being fired- are less serious.

Micromanagement inside the extended family may slow the acquisition of essential skills such as financial literacy in home management. Overprotection may castrate initiative and self-reliance. Excesive intrussion in one's private life can be sometimes annoying.