wantokism

Noun

wantokism (uncountable)

1. The Melanesian cultural practice of relying on one's wantoks for any need, and of sharing the fruits of one's personal success with one's wantoks.
   • The capture of a provincial bureaucracy by an ethnic elite and the practice of wantokism have had at least other grave repercussions for national unity and nation-building.1988, James Cook University of North Queensland Committee of South-East Asian Studies, Kabar Seberang, numbers 19-20, page 35
   • Many of these demands derive, RSL^([Ramu Sugar Limited]) believes, from the negative aspects of Papua New Guinean custom. These include wantokism, jealousy, exorbitant landowner-claims, and a handout mentality.2004, Frederick Errington, Deborah Gewertz, Yali's Question: Sugar, Culture, and History, page 197