Northeastern Massim

expand_more Description

The Austronesian speaking Northeastern Massim peoples occupy a region encompassing the northeastern offshore islands of Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Muyuw, by far the largest island, is also the name of the regional [i]lingua franca[/i], and a blanket term for Northeastern Massim peoples excepting those on Trobriand-influenced Yanaba and the Marshall Bennett Islands. Social organization is based on clans that function primarily in the selection of marriage partners, and subclans that function as property holding units. Traditionally, each clan recognized one man as its head, and the head of the most important clan on each island was recognized as the paramount chief. Kinship terminology is a variant of the Crow type used in the Trobriands. Subsistence is based on fishing and agriculture.

Identifier

Region

• Oceania

Subregion

• Melanesia

Subsistence Type

• other subsistence combinations

Countries

• Papua New Guinea