essay

The Manus of the Admiralty Islands

cooperation and competition among primitive peoplesNew York • Published In 1937 • Pages: 210-239

By: Mead, Margaret.

Abstract
This is a comprehensive general summary of Manus society, with emphasis on economic cooperation, condensed in part from the author's previous works on Manus appearing as documents 1-2, 4-7 of this file. After a general introduction to the Manus, Mead discusses the functioning of the society (which is tied up with kinship structure, mutual aid and financial assistance in marriage, debts and their discharge, leadership and the all pervading Sir Ghost cult); the early training of the child and his introduction to societal norms; Manus social personalities (e.g., leaders, dependents, and independents); degree of integration of the cultural life; correspondence between actual economic conditions and social behavior; displacement of competitiveness into the supernatural world; war; and sex and marriage. A short summary and bibliography conclude the work.
Subjects
Culture summary
Social personality
Functional and adaptational interpretations
Borrowing and lending
Internal trade
Status, role, and prestige
Social relationships and groups
Ingroup antagonisms
Regulation of marriage
Mode of marriage
Arranging a marriage
Family relationships
Kin relationships
Siblings-in-law
Community structure
Social control
Instigation of war
Eschatology
Aggression training
Transmission of cultural norms
Transmission of skills
culture
Manus
HRAF PubDate
2005
Region
Oceania
Sub Region
Melanesia
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1964
Field Date
1928-1929
Coverage Date
1928-1929
Coverage Place
Village of Peri, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea
Notes
by Margaret Mead
Includes bibliographical references (p. 239)
LCCN
37000908
LCSH
Manus (Papua New Guinea people)