Social organization of Manua

Mead, Margaret

Book

Social organization of Manua

The Museum • (76) • Published In 1930 • Pages: ii, 218

By: Mead, Margaret.

Abstract
This document is primarily an account of the socio-political organization of Manua, including detailed descriptions of the kinship system and rank and chieftainship. Materials on economic organization and religion are more briefly presented. Emphasis is placed upon the role of chiefs in the community and the district. Manuan traits are frequently compared with equivalent traits of Tutuila, Western Samoa, other Polynesian cultures, and Melanesia. The author did a limited amount of field work in Tutuila, but most of her time was spent in the Manuan group of islands. Of her seven months in Manua, Mead spent six in three villages on the island of Tau. In addition to her own first hand observations, Mead makes extensive use of the literature on Samoa and Oceania as a whole.

Kin relationships

Community structure

Status, role, and prestige

Community heads

Ethnosociology

Territorial hierarchy

Community councils

Diet

Visiting and hospitality

Extended families

Social relationships and groups

Family relationships