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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.

Culture Summary

From Muyuw to the Trobriands

What moves the Kula

The Muyuw Lo'un and the end of marriage

Kula Valuables

Muyuw kinship and the metamorphosis of gender labour

On the transformation of Muyuw into Woodlark Island

The fame of Gawa

Constructing regional worlds in experience

The Massim

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Author	Title	Publication Date
Beierle, John	Culture Summary	2014
Damon, Frederick H.	From Muyuw to the Trobriands	1990
Damon, Frederick H.	What moves the Kula	1983
Damon, Frederick H.	The Muyuw Lo'un and the end of marriage	1989
Damon, Frederick H.	Kula Valuables	2002
Damon, Frederick H.	Muyuw kinship and the metamorphosis of gender labour	1983
Damon, Frederick H.	On the transformation of Muyuw into Woodlark Island	1983
Munn, Nancy D.	The fame of Gawa	1986
Munn, Nancy D.	Constructing regional worlds in experience	1990
Young, Michael W.	The Massim	1983

Northeastern Massim

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