article
Transactional symbolism in Belauan mortuary rites: a diachronic study
journal of the Polynesian Society • 97 (3) • Published In 1988 • Pages: 281-312
By: Parmentier, Richard J..
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article discusses the symbolic meanings of items transacted in Belauan mortuary rites. The focus is on the kinds of meaningful objects, social roles and groups brought into play during mortuary rites, and modalities of transaction or exchange which couple these objects and these social relations. In analyzing these issues, the author notes closer parallel between Belauan funeral rituals and patterns of funerals documents in other Indonesian and Oceanic societies. These patterns include the journey of the ghost to a western land of spirits, the role of mats and cloth in sedimenting the effect of kin, the imposition of silence and inactivity during the mourning period, the use of mortuary practices to signal differences in social rank, the lengthy period of delay between the burial and the final settlement of affinal obligations, and the transformation of the dead into fructifying ancestral spirits.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Dying
- Burial practices and funerals
- Mourning
- Special burial practices and funerals
- Life and death
- Gift giving
- Exchange transactions
- Status, role, and prestige
- Real property
- Inheritance
- Mats and basketry
- Kin relationships
- Social relationships and groups
- Etiquette
- Visiting and hospitality
- Household
- Family relationships
- Sociocultural trends
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Belau
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2010
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Oceania
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Micronesia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Anthropologist
- 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
- Teferi Abate Adem; 2009
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1978-1980
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1930-1988
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Republic of Belau
- NotesAdditional notes
- Richard J. Parmentier
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 310-312)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 08012644
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Palauans