Post by drakeborough on Jan 10, 2017 13:29:49 GMT
He is said to be a distant cousin in "Log Jockey", sure, but why couldn't it mean "geographically distant"? I think both interpretations are valid, but making "cousin Whitewater Duck" the son of "uncle Eider Duck" was just simpler, and more elegant, than having Eider be unmarried and without children and then making up many new relatives to have Whitewater being a distant cousin.
"tracing the limbs of the Duck family tree" could mean meet new relatives, and when Donald mentions "a distant cousin living in this forest" one nephew says "let him stay distant": the nephew's answer talks about geographical distance, so it's not out of question that Donald's use of "distant" could refer to that, especially as it comes just before "in this forest". I'm saying the story is open to both options.
And if Eider moved away from Duckburg before Donald was born, then it makes sense that Donald hasn't met Whitewater before.