essay
Kula in Vakuta: the mechanics of keda
Kula : new perspectives on Massim exchange • Cambridge, U.k. • Published In 1983 • Pages: 201-227
By: Campbell, Shirley F..
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Campbell describes details of the operation of Kula transactions on Vakuta Island which seem to indicate a somewhat different picture than that of the 'simple exchange' mentioned by Malinowski in his 'Argonauts of the western Pacific' (1: Malinowski). Campbell looks at inter-community exchange and the operation and mechanics of KEDA, a term used to describe the route along which Kula shell valuables are exchanged, as well as the linkage between and the ultimate network involved in the Kula (pp. 202-203). Campbell concludes that the Kula (when she observed it) is a finely balanced affair in '…which Vakutan men compete for power and influence in their local political and economic spheres, resulting in the inter-community exchange, Kula, being subordinated to the more important intra-community competition' (p. 220).
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Organization and analysis of results of research
- Functional and adaptational interpretations
- Exchange and transfers
- Gift giving
- Status, role, and prestige
- Accumulation of wealth
- Social relationships and groups
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Trobriands
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 1995
- 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.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- John Beierle
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- Sept. 1976-Jan. 1978
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1976-1978
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Vakuta Island, Papua New Guinea
- NotesAdditional notes
- [by] Shirley F. Campbell
- Bibliography will be found in 36: Leach, Information Sources Listed in Other Works (113)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 82004142
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Trobriand Islanders