ABSTRACT
The nuclear family is the only effective kin unit in San Andres. Corporate groups beyond the nuclear family are confined to the localized land-controlling bodies, the reservations. An individual belongs to a reservation because he or she was born in it, which means, in fact, that he or she belongs to the reservation of the mother or the father depending on the residence of the parent But a kinship tie in itself gives the individual no definite position in the life of the Piez community. Obligations amongst kin outside the nuclear family are vague and phrased only in terms of general assistance in case of emergencies which is clearly not obligatory. The household, consisting most frequently of a nuclear family, is the most important social and economic unit in Paez society. The nuclear family is also a corporate landholding group and should ideally act as one economic unit.
