Book

Wage, trade, and exchange in Melanesia: a Manus society in the modern state

University of California PressBerkeley • Published In 1989 • Pages: xvii, 257

By: Carrier, James G., Carrier, Achsah H..

Abstract
Ponam is a small island off the north coast of Manus Island, Papua, New Guinea. In the late 1970s, the inhabitants of this island found a relatively prosperous economic niche for themselves, in contrast to the standards of many villages in Papua, New Guinea, based on the ability of the islanders to do well in school and use their educational credentials to get well-paying off-island jobs, primarily with the civil service. As the result of these jobs the migrants were able to send enough money home to their families so that the island residents were able to buy both the necessities and a number of the minor luxuries of life (p. xi). Despite their improved standards of living, many aspects of life on the island remained relatively unchanged, such as fishing, marketing, and ceremonial exchange, primarily in the form of gifts to mark the stages of marriage, birth, death, and a host of other less momentous occasions. All of the above aspects of Ponam ethnography are examined in great detail in this monograph.
Subjects
Theoretical orientation in research and its results
Acculturation and culture contact
Sociocultural trends
Fishing
Real property
Gift giving
Internal trade
Retail marketing
Kin relationships
Lineages
culture
Manus
HRAF PubDate
2005
Region
Oceania
Sub Region
Melanesia
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 2004
Field Date
1978-1986
Coverage Date
ca. 1870-1980s
Coverage Place
Ponam Island, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea
Notes
James G. Carrier and Achsah H. Carrier
Includes bibliographical references (p. 247-253) and Index
LCCN
88015576
LCSH
Manus (Papua New Guinea people)