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

2. SUMMARY

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. KEY THEMES

9. 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.

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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?

14. finito
(the end)