Book

The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea

Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.New York • Published In 1988 • Pages: xx, 184

By: Weiner, Annette B..

Abstract
This book explores the relationship '…between power and death as men and women, each in their own way, with their own valuables, confront the eternal problem of sustaining hierarchial relations in the face of loss and decay' (p. 13). Topics covered are: a brief cultural history of Trobriand society and the vitality of these people in facing the changes of the 1980s; the rituals surrounding death; the different but complementary roles played by men and women in the birth process; youth and sexuality; marriage and the manipulation of wealth to enhance one's influence with others; chiefs and their positions in the society; methods of spreading one's fame through enormous productive work and the expenditure of huge resources; women's wealth; and the significance of the inter-island Kula exchange among men.
Subjects
Gift giving
Accumulation of wealth
Mourning
Gender status
Vegetable production
Status, role, and prestige
Lineages
Family relationships
culture
Trobriands
HRAF PubDate
1995
Region
Oceania
Sub Region
Melanesia
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnographer
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle
Field Date
1971, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1981 (22 mos.) [p.xi]
Coverage Date
not specified
Coverage Place
Kiriwina Island, Papua New Guinea
Notes
[by] Annette B. Weiner
Bibliography: p. 173-180.|Includes index
LCCN
87018614
LCSH
Trobriand Islanders