THE TROBRIANDERS OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA CHAPTER ONE – THE TROBRIANDERS, PAST AND PRESENT By sunil henil and peter

SUMMARY

A TRAGIC RETURN Turbulent to the Trobriand Islands Coral Reef on the tip of Kirwana Women are cooking April 1982 (Vanoi, the highest ranking chief, is dead) Landing is a social event Bunemiga, Bulapapa, Bomapota are friends of Wiener from Kwaibwaga Haswa is island of administrative and commercial center Bunemiga tells her about Vanoi’s death Do not rise head above chief – this is a taboo with chiefs To show disrespect to a chief is dangerous because some are known for their sorcery Vanoi knew sorcery and was killed by a rival chief by sorcery Paths to Omarakana are blocked with tree branches to show the mourning of Vanoi

EARLIER TIMES Vanoi’s death ends a stormy decade in the Trobriand, especially in Kiriwina In the 1970’s, looking forward for independence from the Aussies 1975, National Independence Day had large celebration, but power diminishing First Trip to Kiriwina in 1971, due to a tourist boom Port Moresby filled with Aussies Wood carving industry is mojor source of western money Europeans engaged in buy/sell of Trobriand items Carvers would wait for tourists to buy then wait on locals Charter plane on Saturday Money used to buy necessities If a man stays too long at hotel/store, they miss chance at fish claim Tourist boom Everyone is dressed up, with care for style of body Gratuitous use of baby powder Love magic also used

EXPECTATION AND DISAPPOINTMENT Economic boom due to industrialization 1972, hotel destroyed John’s Kabisawaki Economic association was hope Chief rival of this: Tonenai Kamokwita Development Corporation Everything voer for John K in 1976, for begin convitcted for embezzling government funds Major source of cash income is now by children working elsewhere in Papa New Guinea

A HISTORY OF RESISTING CHANGE No change, all about tradition Malinowski came in 1915 and 1918, fighting for tradition Monogamy is practiced by everyone, except chief Abolition of polygyny to weaken the chief’s power Japanese came, World War 2 2 major species of yams cultivated Blowing conch shell announced to all villagers that chief will fill yam house Kula expedition

AN EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY Trobriand cultural and traditional values are notable for their resilience to foreign influences and changes Women appear to have little effect on their society and economics In truth, woman have complete control of their own wealth, as they manufacture their own valuables The creation of red skirts from banana leaves, while seemingly insignificant in the whole of Trobriand economics (compared to decorative kula shells or yams, which are mainly owned by males) have immense ceremonial value The banana leaves that the women gather are integral to mortuary ceremonies During times of mourning, the red skirts and banana leaves are distributed among the women These skirt/leaf bundles hold a value akin to money Those who leave the ceremony without profiting in bundles are compensated by yams from the men The extraordinary discovery is that Trobriand women have their own almost separate economy within the whole economy of Trobriand society, managed entirely by themselves

KEY THEMES

Kinship as an Organizing Principle In much of the Trobriand islander society, kinship plays a major role through marriage. Specifically, much of the social structure in the Trobrianders’ society is based upon marriage and the exchange of gifts to act as an extension of social interactions between the people. For example, the Trobriand people often exchange yams with the purpose of bettering their social hierarchy with the logical approach stating that the more yams a person has, the more influence they have over the decisions made in the society. This acts as an organizing principle, as it generates a system of social classification based on the number of yams a man is able to produce, a number which is proportional to his monogamous or polygamous marriage wherein, the more wives a man has, the greater the number of yams produced by the unit.

Economic Organization and the Environment The economic organization of the Trobriander society is highlighted through the division of labour between genders, exchange systems, and the scale of the market. In the Trobriand society, gender roles are relatively balanced, where both the men and women rely on each other. For example, both genders engage in social activities and both are key to an important aspect of the Trobriand lifestyle. The man in a Trobriand unit is often responsible, or has a part, in the political aspects of the society but can also specialize in another skill such as carving, in order to benefit the overall economy of the village through selling their works. Women, on the other hand, are responsible for much of the social interaction that they have with other people in the village, for example, they are essential to a man’s social status through their importance to the production of yams, and they also engage in gift giving to indicate the status of another woman in the village. Exchange systems in the Trobriand society are based around the selling of goods created by men. For example, if a man is adept in carving, he may sell his carvings to purchase other things (e.g. fish) that he may use from the European-owned trade stores. The Trobriand market

Belief Systems and Practices Among other things, the Trobrianders follow and believe in practices and beliefs of sorcery (negative) and magic. For example, the chief of a Trobriand society is thought to know powerful spells to ward off, or harm the chief of another village, if they pose a threat. However, they can also be affected similarly by other chiefs. For example, in the perspective of the original Trobriand community, Vanoi (Chief) is thought to have died because of a spell that affected him negatively. However, in the Trobrianders perspective, magic can also be used to benefit individuals. For example, for unmarried adolescents, decorative elements on their clothing are specifically selected to attract a possible lover, and magic is calculated to make a person sexually appealing.

KEY ANTHROPOLOGICAL PHRASES Lineage : Lineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry Missionaries : Pertaining, but not limited to religious missions Premarital: Before marriage (usually associated with sexual activities) Matrilineal : Pertaining to the mothers lineage Methodist : A person that grew out of the revival of religion; stresses both social and personal morality Monogamy : Marriage to only one person at a time Polygyny : Marriage to multiple persons at one time Colonial : Concerning or pertaining to a colony or colonies Cultural Resiliency : To be able to revert to the original culture followed Census : An official enumeration of the population , with details regarding age, gender, occupation Urbanities : The quality of being urbane; politeness, kindness Cognatic : Related by birth; having the same parentage, descent, etc… Affinal : Related by marriage

QUIZ TIME What is the story of Chief Vanoi’s death? Why were the paths from Omarakana leading to the village blocked? What year was National Independence Day declared? What does “Buwa” mean and how is this significant? What is Trobriand known as?

finito (the end)