In this paper I have discussed two cultural concepts constructed around ideas of origin and source in Buru society. The noro is a social group composed of Houses defined by males who stay in them. These groups celebrate a unique founding and have an origin structure which includes a founding ancestor, a “place where the house pole was planted”, heirlooms, a house in which to store them, an inherited territory and inside and outside names. Hierarchy and equality in Buru society is formulated based on value assigned to features of origin structures. Where asymmetrical value has been culturally assigned, precedence is given to elder Houses within a noro, for they were established prior and upstream to younger Houses, and to elders within a House, for they were born before juniors. Between noro, however, there is no asymmetrical value assigned to origin structures. Consequently, there is no established precedence and the possibility of equality exists in relationships with other noro.

There is also an origin structure associated with life, based on the metaphor of tall standing trees where life in the young leaf tips comes from the root and trunk. Women produce life and the source of a child’s life is in his mother’s natal noro and House. Because women marry and change their affiliation as they “exit” and “enter” Houses of different noro, the source of their children’s life is represented by their brothers. “Source uncles” (MB) and “life children” (ZC) are thus in a well defined relationship of life.

These two origin structures complement each other and are the basis for Buru social life. Their significance can be seen again in a case where the two concepts are conflated: the social position of an an tunin. This phrase literally means “original child” and refers to children born to women before they are married. Because an tunin are born before the hak anat of a woman has been transferred to another House and noro through marriage, these children belong to the natal hum lolin and noro of their mother and their mother’s brother is their ama (F). They are “original children” because their source of life originates from the House to which they belong; their source of life and House are one and the same. In these cases the noro perpetuates itself internally rather than externally through the children of married women who have their source of life in another noro and House.