essay

On flying witches and flying canoes: the coding of male and female values

kula : new perspectives on massim exchangeCambridge, U.K. • Published In 1983 • Pages: 171-200

By: Tambiah, S. J..

Abstract
Relying in large part on Annette Weiner's book entitled Women of Value, Men of Renown (1976), as both a point of reference and a point of departure (p. 172), Tambiah presents in the first part of this paper an analysis of the Trobriand cultural code concerning male and female attributes as recognized in the society. This section deals primarily with differential role playing by both sexes, with particular reference to brother-sister relationships and with interpersonal relations of other types. The second part of this work deals in some detail with Trobriand concepts related to the male sorcerer (BWAGA'U), the female witch (YOYOVA), flying witches (MULUKWAUSI), malignant spirits (TAURA'U), and the association between the flying witches and the flying canoes celebrated in Kula myths and canoe magic. Brief mention is also made in the text to canoe construction and Trobriand ideas about the land, sea, and sky.
Subjects
Shipbuilding
Gift giving
Boats
Status, role, and prestige
Gender status
Sorcery
Mythology
Magic
Ethnometeorology
Ethnogeography
culture
Trobriands
HRAF PubDate
1995
Region
Oceania
Sub Region
Melanesia
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
Analyst
John Beierle
Field Date
no date
Coverage Date
not specified
Coverage Place
Papua New Guinea
Notes
[by] S. J. Tambiah
Bibliography will be found in Information Sources Listed in Other Works (113)
LCCN
82004142
LCSH
Trobriand Islanders