David Nolin: Boise State University Department of Anthropology

Generalized (indirect) reciprocity is characterized by giving to other group members without regard to direct reciprocation from those same recipients, with the costs of the donor’s generosity instead offset by transfers from other group members. This pattern has long been noted by anthropologists as a common feature of foraging societies; however, there have been relatively few quantitative tests of the principle. One basic test is to see if what one gives is correlated with what one receives – a correlation of indegree and outdegree in network terminology. However, a more specific test is to look for evidence of cycles in the network: A gives to B, who gives to C, who gives back to A. Using between-household food-sharing data from the fishing and whaling village of Lamalera, Indonesia, I test for evidence of cyclical exchange. Previous analyses have shown strong support for direct (dyadic) reciprocity in this population but this additional analysis finds no evidence of cyclical exchange. Instead,there is a significant propensity to form transitive triads (A gives to both B and C, and B also gives to C). This result is compared to ethnographic observations of social support via food transfers from economically secure to chronically needy households.