The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea

by Weiner, Annette B.

• ISBN13: 9780030119194
• ISBN10: 0030119197
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1988-01-04
• Publisher: Cengage Learning

Summary

This re-examination of the Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea, the people described in Malinowski?s classic ethnographic work of the early 20th century, provides a balanced view of the society from a male and female perspective, including coverage of new discoveries about the importance of woman?s work and wealth in the society.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii	(4)
Acknowledgments	xi	(8)
List of Illustrations	xix
Introduction	1	(16)
A Sacred Place	1	(3)
Ethnographic Comparisons	4	(6)
Trobriand History, Geography, and Language	10	(3)
Trobrianders Today	13	(4)
1 The Trobrianders: Past and Present	17	(16)
A Tragic Return	17	(2)
Earlier Times	19	(4)
Expectation and Disappointment	23	(2)
A History of Resisting Change	25	(2)
An Extraordinary Discovery	27	(6)
2 Death and the Work of Mourning	33	(18)
Uwelasi's Death	33	(3)
"Owners" and "Workers"	36	(3)
The Threat of Sorcery	39	(2)
"Carrying" the Dead Person	41	(2)
Keeping the Dead Alive	43	(8)
3 Fathers and Matrilineality	51	(14)
Interrupted Sleep	51	(2)
Birth and Ancestors	53	(3)
The Other Matrilineage	56	(2)
A Father's Care	58	(3)
"Hard Words"	61	(4)
4 Youth and Sexuality	65	(16)
Waiting and Watching	65	(1)
Adolescent Sexuality	66	(3)
Seduction with Magic	69	(2)
Choosing One Lover	71	(2)
Looking for a Spouse	73	(4)
Eating Yams Together	77	(4)
5 Marriage and the Politics of Yams	81	(16)
Yam Gardens	81	(3)
Yams as Wealth	84	(2)
The First Exchanges at Marriage	86	(2)
Yams and Sexuality	88	(3)
Women and the Politics of Yam Exchanges	91	(2)
Men and Their Yam Houses	93	(4)
6 Chiefs and Hierarchy	97	(14)
A Chief's Visit	97	(2)
What the Ancestors Brought	99	(4)
The Differences Yams Make	103	(3)
Finding Wives	106	(2)
Power and Fear	108	(3)
7 Men Working for Women	111	(14)
Harvest Competitions	111	(5)
Death and Women's Wealth	116	(3)
The Need for Bundles	119	(6)
8 The Regeneration of Matrilineality	125	(14)
The Women's Mortuary Distribution	125	(2)
Fathers and Daughters	127	(1)
The Bundle Distribution	128	(4)
The End of Lisaladabu	132	(2)
The Regeneration of Matrilineal Identity	134	(5)
9 Kula and the Search for Fame	139	(20)
"Argonauts" on Kula Voyages	139	(6)
The Basis of Kula: Ceremonial or Utilitarian	145	(1)
Kula in Historical Perspective	146	(2)
Working for Kula	148	(4)
The Circulation of a Kitomu	152	(2)
The Meaning of Kula	154	(5)
10 Conclusion	159	(10)
The Power in Objects	159	(4)
The Pathos in Objects	163	(2)
Tradition and Change	165	(4)
Glossary of Kiriwina Words and Anthropological Terms	169	(4)
References Cited	173	(8)
Films about the Trobriand Islands	181	(2)
Index	183