article

Baloma: the spirits of the dead in the Trobriand Islands

Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britian and Ireland46 • Published In 1916 • Pages: 353-430

By: Malinowski, Bronislaw.

Abstract
This article deals with the spirits of the dead, the BALOMA, in Kiriwina Island and covers the following subjects: mortuary practices, witches, beliefs regarding life after death and reincarnation, relations between BALOMA and the living, return of the spirits to their villages during the annual feast (MILAMALA), the part played by the spirits in magic, ignorance of the physiology of reproduction, and a theoretical section regarding the sociology of belief.
Subjects
Sorcery
Death
Eschatology
culture
Trobriands
HRAF PubDate
1995
Region
Oceania
Sub Region
Melanesia
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Eugene Lerner
Field Date
1915-1916
Coverage Date
1915-1916
Coverage Place
Omarakana, Kiriwina Island, Papua New Guinea
Notes
[by] Bronislaw Malinowski
LCSH
Trobriand Islanders