Family is extremely important to the Lembak. One may go as far as to say it is a defining characteristic of this people group. The people tend to do everything as a family and are very close-knit.
In fact, the way the Lembak relate with each other is often based on their relationship to each other. They have titles for every person in the family according to gender and birth order (all the way to the seventh born!) Here are a few examples:
Sons:
1st born: dang __
2nd born: donga __
3rd born: docik __
Daughters:
Inga __
Dodo __
Bungsu __
Order and gender even play a role in how children address aunts and uncles, grandparents, and people outside their immediate family.
If people are not called by their birth order they are known by their children or husband. For example, a woman is often referred to as mother of so and so or wife of so and so. The husband will likely be known in the community as “father of ___ (first born son)”.
There is MUCH to be written and explored about the value of family amongst the Lembak, a value that's clear even with a brief glimpse of how they address each other in day to day interactions.
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