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Kaluli. Longhouse Culture in Papua New Guinea. Location. Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea Mainly tropical rainforest Great Papuan Plateau The name Bosavi comes from the nearby Mount Bosavi Collapsed cone of an extinct volcano
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Kaluli Longhouse Culture in Papua New Guinea
Location • Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea • Mainly tropical rainforest • Great Papuan Plateau • The name Bosavi comes from the nearby Mount Bosavi • Collapsed cone of an extinct volcano • The Kaluli (and related groups) live on the high ground north of the mountain
Early History and Contact • Only about 1200-2k Bosavi total • Much fewer Kaluli • Extensive trade networks with neighboring groups • Persists even today • Relatively late contact in relation to many of the other groups we’ve studied • 1930s • The outbreak of WWII and the diseases and violence that came with it decimated the population • Disease is still a problem for almost all of the indigenous people in Papua New Guinea
Organization • Villages • The longhouse is the core of village life • Typically 30ft by 60ft • Porches at each end • Raised construction on pillars ranging from 5-12 ft high • Defensive construction to warn of intruders • Inside: • Divided in half by a long corridor with rooms coming off of each side • The men sleep on raised platforms along the walls • Women, the elderly, and children sleep along the walls of the corridors • Specific areas are designated for each group
Organization • Longhouses are associated with the land they are constructed upon rather than with the inhabitants • The name of the land a people live on is extremely important • Used to identify themselves in many different contexts • Both in peaceful communication as well as during warfare • The core of the villages are composed of men that are related to several clans based upon patrilineal descent • However, matrilineal ties between villages are also used to maintain good relations between villages
Organization • Very egalitarian society • Exchange of possessions or anything else is not used to enhance ones prestige at all • The most important type of exchange practiced is marriage • Men and women have very clearly defined roles • At the same time they are very cooperative as well • Extremely stable system with very little to no hostility between the sexes
Organization • Women • Gardening • Care for pigs • Limited hunting of smaller animals • Sago processing • Child care
Organization • Men • Typically operate in groups • Clearing land for various purposes • Construction of longhouses or other buildings • Initial planting of crops
Organization • Kaluli individuals, while formally practicing a system of patrilineal descent, also claim membership in both their mother and fathers clans • Siblings and cousins are the most important familial relationships among the Kaluli
Organization • Marriage • Exogamy is the typical type of marriage practiced by the Kaluli • Only marriage to an individual from another clan with very little chance of being related • Grooms (and brides) are typically unaware of the marriage plans that are being made by their elder relatives • A bride-wealth is paid and when everything is finalized the groom is ‘surprised’ by his friends with the marriage
Organization • Marriage • Exchange between the two families is a life-long affair that begins with the bride-wealth • Sometimes a sister from the grooms family will be given to the brides family as compensation • Called ‘Sister Exchange’ and is quite uncommon
Organization • Children • The proper teaching of children is an essential part of Kaluli society • The traditional gender roles, and the tasks associated with each, are the first to be passed on • Mothers will treat girls and boys differently since they are the ones responsible for a child's upbringing
Organization • Boys • Strength and aggression is emphasized • Assertive activities • Taught to be very demanding • Must never give up • Proper forms of begging and whining are also taught to accomplish these goals
Organization • Girls • Not allowed to be considered helpless for very long • Assigned chores as soon as possible • Unlike boys • Service to others (men) is the primary goal • Maternal skills are also very important • Will assist in taking care of a younger sibling at a very young age
Organization • The Hardening of Children • The learning of the importance of reciprocity and exchange is very important for children • Must be able to give and receive, and use the proper language while doing so, at a young age • Hard behavior and language is referring to adult ways of doing things, rather than the easier and more forgivable ‘soft’ and childlike norms • Hard and Soft are descriptive motifs that are present in almost all aspects of Kaluli culture
Subsistence • Excellent trackers and masters of identifying changes in their environment • Very important in a dense rainforest environment • Have to know what type of animal (or person) you are tracking • Changes in the environment are used as a way of marking time as well
Subsistence • Swidden horticulture is the primary mode of subsistence • Provides for a widely varied diet • Constantly trying to improve the quality and resistance of their crops
Subsistence • Staple crop is sago starch • From wild sago palms • Other crops include: • Bananas, Breadfruit, Pandanus, Sugarcane, Green Vegetables, Sweet Potatoes • Animals: • Small animals of all types are collected opportunistically during the course of the day • Fish or small game animals are bountiful and are regularly hunted • Pigs are also kept, but in very small numbers
Trade • Trade occurs between individuals both within the community and in other more distant villages • Reinforces bonds • Specific trade items are used for specific groups of people • Important for traveling because it ensured that you had a friendly place to stay along the way
Supernatural • The dense forest plays a large part in Kaluli supernatural belief • Unseen sounds from various sources (birds, animals, insects, etc) carry a great deal of meaning • Different meanings are assigned to different sounds • Particularly bird calls that may resemble other, potentially human, noises
Supernatural • Every individual has his or her own shadow that roams the forest • Men are wild pigs • Women are cassowaries • Spirits of both the dead and unborn are present in the forest as well • Not malevolent at all and wish nothing bad on the Kaluli • But there is also a supernatural force or spirit that does wish ill will upon people • Can be stopped by the proper preventive measures • Associated with certain tracts of land
Supernatural • Mediums (people who have access to the supernatural world) are selected when a man marries a supernatural woman in his sleep and has a child with her • When the mans spirit leaves his body other spirits can enter it and use it to communicate • This is used for the Kaluli to communicate with dead relatives and check in on their status
Supernatural • Witches are individuals who may have an evil spirit residing within them • Typically only wish ill will on strangers • But will harm family members at times • Are used to explain illnesses or injuries that are invisible
Ceremony • Gisaro • Celebration that involves neighboring longhouses • Typically associated with marriages or large and impressive gifts of meat • Pig feasts • Dancing and singing takes place throughout the night • Most important ceremonial event in Kaluli culture • Elaborate costumes are also used
Modern Problems • Missionary activity dramatically changed the traditional Kaluli way of life • Changed the way the Kaluli see and explain the world • The adoption of European systems of time and space are very different from those of the Kaluli • Speech is more important than ritual activity • Opposite in traditional Kaluli culture • However, aside from these missionary contacts, many groups remain fairly autonomous and enjoy a bountiful natural environment that is relatively free from government intervention