essay

Human relations and language in a Papuan-speaking tribe of southern Bougainville, Solomon Islands: an essay on methodology

Studies in the anthropology of Bougainville, Solomon Islands29 (2) • Published In 1949 • Pages: 38

By: Oliver, Douglas L..

Abstract
This study discusses the political organization of the Siwai, beginning with a semantic analysis finding three distinct meanings of the word for a Siwai big man. One is a respectful form of address for elders within one's kin group. A second refers to people who have wealth in one or all of its various forms: land, crops, pigs, shell money, and ownership of a men's house. The third and perhaps most significant meaning relates to a person's ability to initiate and organize work in preparation for "social-climbing" feasts. The second part of the document is a detailed, day-by-day account of the preparations for one such feast.
Subjects
Mutual aid
Status, role, and prestige
Community heads
Visiting and hospitality
Status, role, and prestige
Manipulative mobility
Downward mobility
Community structure
Inter-community relations
culture
Siwai
HRAF PubDate
2016
Region
Oceania
Sub Region
Melanesia
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard; 2014
Field Date
1938-1939
Coverage Date
1938-1939
Coverage Place
southern Bougainville, North Solomons Province, Papua New Guinea
Notes
By Douglas L. Oliver
Peabody Expedition to Bougainville, Solomon Islands
Includes bibliographical references (p. 38)
LCCN
49010695
LCSH
Siuai (Papuan people)