In-law relations on a New Guinea island - article ; n°64 ; vol.35, pg 175-184

Stuart Berde

Description

Journal de la Société des océanistes - Année 1979 - Volume 35 - Numéro 64 - Pages 175-184
This paper examines affinal relations among the Panaeati — a canoe building people who live in southeast Papua New Guinea. The Panaeati exchange system is envisioned as a total economy: men verbally request goods from in-laws (and friends) to feed canoe builders; men trade the canoes and use the acquired goods to sponsor mortuary ceremonies; the ceremonies, in turn, lead to the acquisition of land rights for the builder/sponsor. Through an analysis of a tape recorded verbal request, the rules for social interaction between in-laws are delineated. This micro-level analysis complements the broader analysis of mortuary/land right exchanges, allowing the economy to be understood through some of the principles for face-to-face interaction outlined by Erving Goffman and sociolinguists.
Cet article étudie les relations d'alliance chez les Panaeati, une société de constructeurs de pirogues résidant au sud-est de la Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée. Le système d'échange des Panaeati est perçu dans le cadre d'une économie globale : les hommes demandent verbalement à leurs parents par alliance (et à leurs amis) des dons de nourriture qui serviront à rétribuer les fabricants de pirogues ; ils vendent ensuite les pirogues, ce qui leur permet d'organiser des cérémonies funéraires ; ces cérémonies conduisent à leur tour à l'acquisition de droits fonciers par les organisateurs et les constructeurs de pirogues. Grâce à l'analyse de l'enregistrement sur bande d'une telle requête, les règles des interactions sociales ont pu être définies. Cette analyse à un niveau microsociologique complète l'analyse plus large des relations entre cérémonies funéraires et droits fonciers, permettant ainsi de saisir le système économique à travers quelques-uns des principes régissant les interactions au sein du groupe local, selon Erving Goffman et certains sociologuistes.
10 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Informations

• Publié par: JOURNAL_DE_LA_SOCIETE_DES_OCEANISTES
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1979
• Nombre de lectures: 25
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Stuart Berde
In-law relations on a New Guinea island
In: Journal de la Société des océanistes. N°64, Tome 35, 1979. pp. 175-184.
Abstract
This paper examines affinal relations among the Panaeati — a canoe building people who live in southeast Papua New Guinea.
The Panaeati exchange system is envisioned as a total economy: men verbally request goods from in-laws (and friends) to feed
canoe builders; men trade the canoes and use the acquired goods to sponsor mortuary ceremonies; the ceremonies, in turn, lead
to the acquisition of land rights for the builder/sponsor. Through an analysis of a tape recorded verbal request, the rules for social
interaction between in-laws are delineated. This micro-level analysis complements the broader analysis of mortuary/land right
exchanges, allowing the economy to be understood through some of the principles for face-to-face interaction outlined by Erving
Goffman and sociolinguists.
Résumé
Cet article étudie les relations d'alliance chez les Panaeati, une société de constructeurs de pirogues résidant au sud-est de la
Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée. Le système d'échange des Panaeati est perçu dans le cadre d'une économie globale : les hommes
demandent verbalement à leurs parents par alliance (et à leurs amis) des dons de nourriture qui serviront à rétribuer les
fabricants de pirogues ; ils vendent ensuite les pirogues, ce qui leur permet d'organiser des cérémonies funéraires ; ces
cérémonies conduisent à leur tour à l'acquisition de droits fonciers par les organisateurs et les constructeurs de pirogues. Grâce
à l'analyse de l'enregistrement sur bande d'une telle requête, les règles des interactions sociales ont pu être définies. Cette
analyse à un niveau microsociologique complète l'analyse plus large des relations entre cérémonies funéraires et droits fonciers,
permettant ainsi de saisir le système économique à travers quelques-uns des principes régissant les interactions au sein du
groupe local, selon Erving Goffman et certains sociologuistes.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Berde Stuart. In-law relations on a New Guinea island. In: Journal de la Société des océanistes. N°64, Tome 35, 1979. pp. 175-
184.
doi : 10.3406/jso.1979.3004
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/jso_0300-953X_1979_num_35_64_3004In-law relations on a New Guinea island
by
Stuart BERDE
In-law transactions are the cornerstone of the Canoes are extremely valuable in this region.
Panaeati system of exchange1 — through these In exchange for a canoe, a man can receive many
" spondylus shell necklaces " (bagi), greenexchanges men and women obtain the most import pigs,
stone " ax blades " ant rewards in their society : rights to lands. In- (giam), garden produce, sago,
trade store goods, and a considerable amount of laws make presentations throughout the lives of
a married couple, and they favor the families of cash. Men trade canoes to their matrilineal rela
tives, to in-laws, and to trade friends living on the female spouses. Men, especially young
husbands, often complain that their economic Panaeati and throughout the Louisiade Archipel
responsibilities to their wives' families are too ago. While men build, trade and sail canoes,
severe and lament their powerlessness to change women play a critical role in the manufacture of
the imbalance. Two Panaeati demonstrated their the canoe as well as in other aspects of the Pa
weak economic position vis-a-vis the families of naeati economy.
their wives when they dramatized a trading con Women are responsible for gardening, so no
versation in which a man is verbally tricked by social activity on Panaeati requiring food can
his wife's mother's brother into giving him a occur without their cooperation. Men gain their
canoe. reputations by presenting food to those who attend
The outcome of the conversation represents canoe work parties and mortuary ceremonies, so
the husband's view of the relations between in- men readily admit that they owe their positions
laws. Examination of the provides in the system of exchange to the gardening work
insight into the values supporting the exchange of their wives ; and, to a lesser extent, to their
system; before examining the conversation in female matrilineal relatives.
detail, I shall discuss the role of in-laws in the The Panaeati system of exchange is based on
marriage and on the economic exchanges between Panaeati economy. This discussion encompasses
sexual division of labor, canoe building and trad in-laws. Most of the goods which people borrow
are used to sponsor mortuary ceremonies which ing, and mortuary ceremonies.
honor the roles of deceased men and women in Located in the Louisiade Archipelago about
200 miles east of the mainland of Papua New marriage. In-laws often borrow goods from each
Guinea, Panaeati is a relatively low island with a other to sponsor these ceremonies2. Ideally
good balance of agricultural and marine resources. debts between in-laws, like debts between trade
The island is five miles long and three miles across friends and relatives, are cleared when borrowers
at its widest point. Its one thousand inhabitants return either the same valued item or items equal
garden in the interior of the island, clearing plots in value to those borrowed. People say that
for yams, their most important crop, as well as for good — that is, industrious — in-laws keep their
debts evenly balanced throughout the lives of the a variety of faster-maturing produce such as taro,
sweet potatoes, and manioc. married couple.
Most of the island is covered with trees, one However, there is a counterprinciple to the rule
variety of which (Callophylum inophylum) is an of balanced reciprocity between in-laws : because
excellent hardwood for manufacturing canoes. women provide invaluable garden produce for
their husbands, the wives' families do not have These trees, called malauwi, are found almost
to give as much as they receive from the husbands' exclusively in the Louisiade Archipelago on Pa
naeati. This monopoly on the finest timber for families. Men often present canoes to their
wives' families and receive poor exchanges for the making canoes has given the Panaeati the reputa
tion as outstanding canoe builders and traders. canoes.
* of Massachusetts at Boston. University
•1. Field work for this study was conducted in 1970 and 1971 under grants by the National Science Foundation and the
University of Pennsylvania Museum.
2. People also borrow goods from their matrilineal relatives and from their friends. 176 SOCIÉTÉ DES OCÉANISTES
. PANAEATI MISIMA
^ KIMUTA
BROO K E
<??
OTORINA
B A G A SfÀ grass" N t
SUDEST
LOUISIADE
ARCHIPELAGO
io miles
My informants wanted me to know that this is own matrilineage and for their fathers and contri
the unfortunate position of husbands in the system wives' bute generously families. to ceremonies sponsored by their
of exchange. A man must provide goods for his
wife's family throughout their marriage. The A man obtains rights to residence land by pre
culture does provide a reward if, when his wife senting the third and final mortuary ceremony,
dies, he has given more to his wife's families than called a soi, for his father. He presents pigs
he has received from them. The reward is that and yams to the matrilineal descendents of the
the man can take his deceased spouse from her father of the honored deceased. The matrilineal
matrilineal relatives and bury her in his own land. descendents of the deceased are grateful for this
This is extremely important to a husband : it presentation because it honors the role that their
means that he has honored his wife by out-giving mother (or mother's sister) played in her marr
her family. It is embarrassing for the wife's iage. The presentation recalls the earlier pre
matrilineal relatives, for it means that they did not sentations which the mother and her relatives
support her during her marriage. gave to the matrilineal relatives of her spouse.
The economic role of deceased and living The matrilineal descendents of the deceased show
marriage partners is associated with land rights, their gratitude by giving the presentor rights to
so the acquisition of these rights has powerful build his house and to reside on their land for
symbolic importance. The goal of every Panaeati the rest of his life. After his death his house will
man and woman is to obtain land rights owned by be destroyed, and the land empty until his son
their in-laws. In order to do this, husbands and presents a soi for him. In this way rights to res
wives sponsor mortuary ceremonies in which they idence land pass from fathers to sons. See
obtain rights to residence and garden land. Figure 1.
Men build and trade canoes in order to obtain At special mortuary ceremonies, called hagali,
pigs and valuables to sponsor three mortuary in which women are the major participants, a
ceremonies for each deceased person. They try female sponsor presents yams to the matrilineal
to avoid trading their canoes to their wives' rela