essay

Objects of meditation: myth and praxis

unconscious in culture: the structuralism of Claude LTvi StraussNew YorkPublished In 1974 • Pages: 209-237

By: Schwimmer, Eric G..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This is a short article in which the author discusses the role of coconut, areca, and taro in Orokaiva society. These 'objects,' according to Schwimmer, are 'total phenomena' in Orokaiva society, and the significance can only be understood by considering them in their full mythological, ritual, and social context. He illustrates this point by a brief and somewhat obscure analysis of these three crops as they are represented in Orokaiva mythology and exchange networks.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Literary texts
Ethnobotany
Social relationships and groups
Diet
Gift giving
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Orokaiva
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2004
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Oceania
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Melanesia
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
David Sherwood ; 1984
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1966-1970
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1966-1967, 1970
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Popondetta Sub-District of the Northern District of Papua; Papua New Guinea
NotesAdditional notes
By Erik Schwimmer
Includes bibliographical references (p. 236-237)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
73014947
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Orokaiva (Papua New Guinea people)