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Argonauts of the Western Pacific
The founding document of economic anthropology! Bronislaw Malinowski, one of the all-time great anthropologists of the world, had a talent for bringing together in single comprehension the warm reality of human living with the cool abstractions of science. His pages have become an almost indispensable link between the knowing of exotic and remote people with theoretical knowledge about humankind. This volume--originally published in 1922--can be considered the founding document of economic anthropology, and remains the best one to read. It emphasizes the great significance of primitive economics by singling out the notable exchange system of the Trobriand Islands for special consideration. Although the main theme is economic, constant reference is made in this milestone of anthropological research and interpretation to social organization, life and meaning, the power of magic, and to mythology and folklore. Title of related interest also available from Waveland Malinowski, Magic, Science and Religion and Other Essays (ISBN 9780881336573.
527 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1922
About the author
Bronisław Malinowski
71 books137 followersBronisław Kasper Malinowski (IPA: [ˌmaliˈnɔfski]; April 7, 1884 – May 16, 1942) was a Polish anthropologist widely considered to be one of the most important anthropologists of the twentieth century because of his pioneering work on ethnographic fieldwork, with which he also gave a major contribution to the study of Melanesia, and the study of reciprocity.
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February 15, 2015
This was a cornerstone of my Readings in Ethnography course in graduate school. Basically a classic of anthropology that also had an impact on the fields of folklore and ethnomusicology. And happens to be set in islands off the coast of but belonging to Papua New Guinea!
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November 5, 2022Off the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea lie islands, all new to me, now part of Milne Bay Province, where Professor Malinowski conducted field research for six years spanning the First World War. How an Austro-Hungarian was allowed to live freely in a corner of the world loosely under Allied control is a story in and of itself. Professor Malinowski came to these islands following the work of a mentor, the mostly forgotten ethnologist Charles Seligman, to whom this work is dedicated. Professor Seligman published Melanesians of British New Guinea in 1910.
Professor Malinowski focused on the Kula ring, a tradition with significant cultural meaning long practiced among residents of the Trobriands, Tubetube, Woodlark Island, Laughlan Island, and the d’Entrecasteaux Archipelago, which include Dobu and the Amphletts, as well as other nearby islands. In the Kula ring, necklaces or soulava, are shared in a generally clockwise direction among the island communities, while shells crafted to fit arms, or mwali, are shared in the opposite direction, all with great planning and formality. The actual exchanges are conducted independent of time, so one item of value can be delivered while the countering receipt may not arrive for many months, or even years. This practice while appearing devoid of any direct economic value serves as a cultural archive in perpetual motion. In one narrow respect, this arrangement can be likened to the British Open Claret Jug that is passed from one winner to the next, with no one ever owning it outright.
On rare occasion I delve into a work that evokes surprising importance. This brilliant work is important far beyond the discipline it helped establish, anthropology. First, the author made a conscious effort to strip ethnocentrism from his analysis, a remarkable achievement for that era, although the words savage and savages do make uncomfortable appearances. Second, this book is readable – how many other scientific works of equal importance can make that claim? Third, we now have tangible evidence for why many of us now feel lost in our lives; there was a day, not that long ago, where we were likely offered purpose and meaning. Last, Professor Malinowski demonstrated the scientific method in anthropology for others to emulate.
Through dedicated observation, he revealed the economic system among the islanders, the rites and rituals used in planning and executing the Kula ring, including detailed descriptions of their canoe construction, diets, social customs and languages, with an involved discussion of magic. Professor Malinowski thankfully provided full texts with translations into English of several incantations and spells; these may prove quite handy for problematic neighbors, relatives or coworkers. Interestingly, it appears most spells can be undone, provided we can find a practitioner and incent them with suitable compensation.
In conclusion, Professor Malinowski profoundly wrote:
As with other great authors, Professor Malinowski’s words appear timeless.
Professor Malinowski focused on the Kula ring, a tradition with significant cultural meaning long practiced among residents of the Trobriands, Tubetube, Woodlark Island, Laughlan Island, and the d’Entrecasteaux Archipelago, which include Dobu and the Amphletts, as well as other nearby islands. In the Kula ring, necklaces or soulava, are shared in a generally clockwise direction among the island communities, while shells crafted to fit arms, or mwali, are shared in the opposite direction, all with great planning and formality. The actual exchanges are conducted independent of time, so one item of value can be delivered while the countering receipt may not arrive for many months, or even years. This practice while appearing devoid of any direct economic value serves as a cultural archive in perpetual motion. In one narrow respect, this arrangement can be likened to the British Open Claret Jug that is passed from one winner to the next, with no one ever owning it outright.
On rare occasion I delve into a work that evokes surprising importance. This brilliant work is important far beyond the discipline it helped establish, anthropology. First, the author made a conscious effort to strip ethnocentrism from his analysis, a remarkable achievement for that era, although the words savage and savages do make uncomfortable appearances. Second, this book is readable – how many other scientific works of equal importance can make that claim? Third, we now have tangible evidence for why many of us now feel lost in our lives; there was a day, not that long ago, where we were likely offered purpose and meaning. Last, Professor Malinowski demonstrated the scientific method in anthropology for others to emulate.
Through dedicated observation, he revealed the economic system among the islanders, the rites and rituals used in planning and executing the Kula ring, including detailed descriptions of their canoe construction, diets, social customs and languages, with an involved discussion of magic. Professor Malinowski thankfully provided full texts with translations into English of several incantations and spells; these may prove quite handy for problematic neighbors, relatives or coworkers. Interestingly, it appears most spells can be undone, provided we can find a practitioner and incent them with suitable compensation.
In conclusion, Professor Malinowski profoundly wrote:
We cannot possibly reach the final Socratic wisdom of knowing ourselves if we never leave the narrow confinement of the customs, beliefs and prejudices into which every man is born. Nothing can teach us a better lesson in this matter of ultimate importance than the habit of mind which allows us to treat the beliefs and values of another man from his point of view. Nor has civilised humanity ever needed such tolerance more than now when prejudice, ill will and vindictiveness are dividing each European nation from another, when all the ideals, cherished and proclaimed as the highest achievements of civilisation, science and religion, have been thrown to the winds. The Science of Man, in its most refined and deepest version should lead us to such knowledge and to tolerance and generosity, based on the understanding of other men’s point of view.
The study of Ethnology—so often mistaken by its very votaries for an idle hunting after curios, for a ramble among the savage and fantastic shapes of “barbarous customs and crude superstitions”—might become one of the most deeply philosophic, enlightening and elevating disciplines of scientific research. Alas! the time is short for Ethnology, and will this truth of its real meaning and importance dawn before it is too late?
As with other great authors, Professor Malinowski’s words appear timeless.
March 19, 2013
The rhetorical style of the time Malinowski was writing makes this classic a tough read today, but for the Oceanist, or anyone interested in economic exchange, this is a must-read. Accompany it with Reo Fortune's Sorcerers of Dobu, and follow it up with Annette Weiner's Women of Value, Men of Renown, and Susanna Kuehling's Dobu.
September 11, 2015
Malinowski constituye un ejemplo de cómo hacer etnografía, es un manual sin duda de cómo realizar esta labor. Lo recomiendo para cualquier antropólogo.
April 13, 2018
April 11
34. Bronislaw Malinowski, Argonauts of the Western Pacific: An Account of Native Enterprise and Adventure in the Archipelagoes of Melanesian New Guinea [1922] 526 pages
An account largely of the "Kula Ring", a complex and apparently non-utilitarian system of exchanges of shell armlets and necklaces among the islands of Melanesia, this book is a classic of ethnological literature. Using the kula as a focal point, the book discusses canoe-making and navigation, more purely economic trade, magic, mythology, and social organization in the region, particularly in the Trobriand Islands. Throughout the book there are discussions of ethnographic methods, as anthropology was entering into a period of empirical fieldwork to learn as much as possible about non-literate cultures before they were totally destroyed by colonial policies.
The book is extremely interesting although somewhat daunting, with dense passages of geographical names, native terms in several languages, and great detail about parts of canoes and so forth. There are many illustrations but unfortunately very grainy halftones in the edition I read (Dutton paperback).
34. Bronislaw Malinowski, Argonauts of the Western Pacific: An Account of Native Enterprise and Adventure in the Archipelagoes of Melanesian New Guinea [1922] 526 pages
An account largely of the "Kula Ring", a complex and apparently non-utilitarian system of exchanges of shell armlets and necklaces among the islands of Melanesia, this book is a classic of ethnological literature. Using the kula as a focal point, the book discusses canoe-making and navigation, more purely economic trade, magic, mythology, and social organization in the region, particularly in the Trobriand Islands. Throughout the book there are discussions of ethnographic methods, as anthropology was entering into a period of empirical fieldwork to learn as much as possible about non-literate cultures before they were totally destroyed by colonial policies.
The book is extremely interesting although somewhat daunting, with dense passages of geographical names, native terms in several languages, and great detail about parts of canoes and so forth. There are many illustrations but unfortunately very grainy halftones in the edition I read (Dutton paperback).
October 29, 2007
i liked this much more than i intended to. there's more at work here than some nasty imperialist vouyerisum. surprisingly, malinowski's project seems to be an earnest reflection on the (seemingly universal) economic presumptions undergirding his own value system. being careful not to name it socialism, malinowksi delicately charts a unique form of social and economic organization that defies standard definition. writing on the brink of world war, you see a man far away from home, less interested in scrutinizing the exotic habits of exotic peoples than being intent on holding a microscope and a mirror up to his own mad culture.
May 18, 2021
excellent
February 2, 2017
Argonauts of the Western Pacific is an anthrological monograph on Kula exchange, a form of ritual gift giving that was practiced in the Trobriand Islands off Eastern New Guinea at the time when Bronislaw Malinowski conducted his field work in the location between 1914 and 1920. I consider the work to be brilliant. However, you should understand that I have never taken even one undergraduate course in Anthropology and had read only one other anthropological or ethnographic monograph prior to reading the Argonauts. The list of anthropological books that I have read is comprised primarily of breezy works of synthesis such as Emile Durkheim's Elementary Forms of Religious Life and Mircea Eliade's Shamanism. I have of course also ready the Golden Bough by James Frazer who rights a glowing introduction that is included in the edition of the Argonauts that I read.
The first effect of reading a work based on a research project conducted according to academic norms is to lose confidence in the bold inferences presented in the synthesis works. Anthropology appears to me to be like history in that the more rigorous and thorough is the research, the more tentative are the conclusions.
One does not read the Argonauts for the exciting conjecture. The book's charm comes from the fascinating nature of the behaviour described. At intervals of several years, the Trobriand Islanders would over several weeks visit roughly a dozen other islands travelling in outrigger canoes. At each location they would participated in ceremonies in which they presented armbands as opening gifts (yagas) to the island's chief and received necklasses as return gifts (yotile). There were only two classes of gifts. An expedition travelling in a clockwise circuit would give armbands(as yagas) and receive necklasses (as yotilies) . An expedition travelling in a counterclockwise circuit would necklasses (as yagas) and receives armbands (as yotiles) in return.
The whole exercise was both absurd and dangerous. The goods never become the property of any community. They were simply held until they had be exchanged. The trips were very dangerous as the travellers risked either dying at sea in their primitive craft or being attacked by hostile tribes.
Malinowski is very cautious in terms of the conclusions he makes. He is adamannt only on the idea that the Kula expeditions can not be considered commerical or any way driven by economics. Some transactions of a commercial hile some true commercial transactions do occur, they are trivial relative to the cost and danger of conducting the expedition. On this point, Frazer loudly applauds Malinowski in his introduction.
Malinowski acknowledges that the Kula could be connected to the social structure of the tribe in that the chief is the leader of the expedition and the nominal owner of the boats but Malinowski does not insist very heavily on this point.
Malinowski does however see a strong link between the Kula expeditions and the magic belief system of the Trobanders. Malinowski notes that magic spells are recited daily at multiple points fromt every stage from the selection of the trees to be made into canoes, through the construction, launching, sailing and visits. While Malinowski clearly perceives that the Kula expeditions are a component of the magic practices of the Islanders, he nonetheless remains vague as to what the exact role of the Kula expeditions are in the magical system of the Trobrianders.
The great beauty of the book is in its execution. The photos, tables and maps are well chosen and support the the text extremely well. Malinowski's treatment of the magical spells his excellent. He chooses to give the spells in their entirety in both Kilivila (the language of the Trobrianders) and in English. This is very helpful to the reader wishing to understand the cadence, rhyme and onomatopoeia of the spells.
All in all, Argonauts of the Western Pacific is a great treat for anyone wishing to know about either the art of anthropology or ceremonial exchange systems.
The first effect of reading a work based on a research project conducted according to academic norms is to lose confidence in the bold inferences presented in the synthesis works. Anthropology appears to me to be like history in that the more rigorous and thorough is the research, the more tentative are the conclusions.
One does not read the Argonauts for the exciting conjecture. The book's charm comes from the fascinating nature of the behaviour described. At intervals of several years, the Trobriand Islanders would over several weeks visit roughly a dozen other islands travelling in outrigger canoes. At each location they would participated in ceremonies in which they presented armbands as opening gifts (yagas) to the island's chief and received necklasses as return gifts (yotile). There were only two classes of gifts. An expedition travelling in a clockwise circuit would give armbands(as yagas) and receive necklasses (as yotilies) . An expedition travelling in a counterclockwise circuit would necklasses (as yagas) and receives armbands (as yotiles) in return.
The whole exercise was both absurd and dangerous. The goods never become the property of any community. They were simply held until they had be exchanged. The trips were very dangerous as the travellers risked either dying at sea in their primitive craft or being attacked by hostile tribes.
Malinowski is very cautious in terms of the conclusions he makes. He is adamannt only on the idea that the Kula expeditions can not be considered commerical or any way driven by economics. Some transactions of a commercial hile some true commercial transactions do occur, they are trivial relative to the cost and danger of conducting the expedition. On this point, Frazer loudly applauds Malinowski in his introduction.
Malinowski acknowledges that the Kula could be connected to the social structure of the tribe in that the chief is the leader of the expedition and the nominal owner of the boats but Malinowski does not insist very heavily on this point.
Malinowski does however see a strong link between the Kula expeditions and the magic belief system of the Trobanders. Malinowski notes that magic spells are recited daily at multiple points fromt every stage from the selection of the trees to be made into canoes, through the construction, launching, sailing and visits. While Malinowski clearly perceives that the Kula expeditions are a component of the magic practices of the Islanders, he nonetheless remains vague as to what the exact role of the Kula expeditions are in the magical system of the Trobrianders.
The great beauty of the book is in its execution. The photos, tables and maps are well chosen and support the the text extremely well. Malinowski's treatment of the magical spells his excellent. He chooses to give the spells in their entirety in both Kilivila (the language of the Trobrianders) and in English. This is very helpful to the reader wishing to understand the cadence, rhyme and onomatopoeia of the spells.
All in all, Argonauts of the Western Pacific is a great treat for anyone wishing to know about either the art of anthropology or ceremonial exchange systems.
June 18, 2020
Argonauts of the western Pacific is the accounts of a series of anthropological expeditions known as the Robert Mond Expedition to New Guinea, 1914-1918. It has been described as a great classic of anthropological research. The scope of the expeditions was to understand and document tribal life by describing the organisation of the tribes, their religions, trade, myths and daily behaviour. To do this the scientist spend long time living with the natives and collected detailed observations in ethnographic diaries from the shores of the Kula District. From the book:
“This goal is, briefly, to grasp the native’s point of view, his relation to life, to realise his vision of his world. We have to study man, and we must study what concerns him most intimately, that is, the hold which life has on him. In each culture, the values are slightly different ; people aspire after different aims, follow different impulses, yearn after a different form of happiness. In each culture, we find different institutions in which man pursues his life-interest, different customs by which he satisfies his aspirations, different codes of law and morality which reward his virtues or punish his defections. To study the institutions, customs, and codes or to study the behaviour and mentality without the subjective desire of feeling by what these people live, of realising the substance of their happiness—is, in my opinion, to miss the greatest reward which we can hope to obtain from the study of man.”
The book is richly illustrated with maps and photographs. I can be downloaded here as a complete, free PDF e-book: https://greatestadventurers.com/argon...
“This goal is, briefly, to grasp the native’s point of view, his relation to life, to realise his vision of his world. We have to study man, and we must study what concerns him most intimately, that is, the hold which life has on him. In each culture, the values are slightly different ; people aspire after different aims, follow different impulses, yearn after a different form of happiness. In each culture, we find different institutions in which man pursues his life-interest, different customs by which he satisfies his aspirations, different codes of law and morality which reward his virtues or punish his defections. To study the institutions, customs, and codes or to study the behaviour and mentality without the subjective desire of feeling by what these people live, of realising the substance of their happiness—is, in my opinion, to miss the greatest reward which we can hope to obtain from the study of man.”
The book is richly illustrated with maps and photographs. I can be downloaded here as a complete, free PDF e-book: https://greatestadventurers.com/argon...
April 18, 2024
Me río ahora de cuando comentaba en mi reseña de los indios guayaquí de Clastres que había resultado un libro difícil de leer.
Mi objetivo con este libro era coger el toro por los cuernos, someter mi inicio en esta disciplina a mi propio método, y así lo he hecho. Sometiendo uno de los pilares de la antropología.
Ahora con perspectiva, sobre la evolución de la disciplina, sobre el paso de la antropología de sillón al trabajo de campo y sobre el desarrollo de las distintas escuelas, he podido disfrutar de este libro de principio a fin.
A excepción de las partes turboautistas en las que Malinowski hacía alarde de su origen de Europa del este y se ponía más denso que el RAM a la taza. Algunas páginas las he salteado, debo confesarme, me interesa el Kula, me interesa la ingeniería social escondida detrás de las Trobriand, incluso me interesa observar y juzgar la propia mirada del observador (participante).
¿Pero cómo se hacen las canoas? Lo siento pero me la pela.
Gracias a Lidia por darme una excusa para leer este libro, y gracias a Alice por conseguírmelo en físico. <3
Mi objetivo con este libro era coger el toro por los cuernos, someter mi inicio en esta disciplina a mi propio método, y así lo he hecho. Sometiendo uno de los pilares de la antropología.
Ahora con perspectiva, sobre la evolución de la disciplina, sobre el paso de la antropología de sillón al trabajo de campo y sobre el desarrollo de las distintas escuelas, he podido disfrutar de este libro de principio a fin.
A excepción de las partes turboautistas en las que Malinowski hacía alarde de su origen de Europa del este y se ponía más denso que el RAM a la taza. Algunas páginas las he salteado, debo confesarme, me interesa el Kula, me interesa la ingeniería social escondida detrás de las Trobriand, incluso me interesa observar y juzgar la propia mirada del observador (participante).
¿Pero cómo se hacen las canoas? Lo siento pero me la pela.
Gracias a Lidia por darme una excusa para leer este libro, y gracias a Alice por conseguírmelo en físico. <3
January 20, 2022
I'm taking a class on Digital Ethnography this term so this reading was assigned to acquaint us with early ethnographic methods/traditions. It is... an artifact of its time (specifically 1920's British colonialism). This text offers a side of methods alongside a heaping serving of dismissive, degrading, and racist language. After the first chapter, I skim-read the rest of the book (hence the dnf tag).
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March 21, 2024 - read introduction -
March 17, 2024
The above title is a 1922 book by famed Polish Anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski about his study of the Kula, a custom of the people of Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea, a cultural practice that transcends the conventional barter system and the notion of monetary wealth of Melanisian Ethnography.
The island was under the colonial territory of Australia at the time after Britain relinquished its authority in 1902.
Malinowski described it (Kula) as a series of inter-tribal exchanges by the several small islands where the natives of Boyowa (Trobriand),Amphletts,Sinaketa,Dobu,Kitavaand other surrounding islands go on expeditions (by canoe on open sea) and present valuables to other persons of the guest island where they are "partnered" with by tradition/choice, valuables such as armshells, necklaces and on occassion heirlooms owned by Chiefs which has any historical significance tied to it.
The system of partnership (lifelong) in the Kula depends on a man's ranking in his village. For instance, the Chief of Boyowa can have up to hundred partners whereas a commoner can only partner a man of his nobility and the guest chief where they go to Kula with.
By tradition, a man can get angry with his partner if he receives a valuable less than what he gives and this could come with disastrous consequence in the form of sorcery because of the significance of the Kula.
The Kula not only unifies the bond between the men, but it also forges an alliance in times of danger and insecurity due to the prevailing force of sorcery and black magic which canvases Milne Bay, which is an entity in itself that has been in existence since the beginning of time on the island (local myth).
A few villages allow women and children aboard the expedition but in most cases,women are barred from taking part in the Kula.
Malinowski, who slept,ate and spoke (Kiriwian) with the Boyowans during the course of his eight months study(1918), structured his book in such a way that it could come as a cross between an anthropological research and a book of spells.
As was the prevalence of magic that time (mid 1910s),Malinowski got from his Trobriand informants spells,incantations,ritualistic practices,taboos and certain rites (sorcerer/witch) pertaining to the actions or inactions of magic.
As mentioned by Malinowski, almost every aspect of life in native Milne Bay is concomitant with magic. He was told of the annual Milamila feast in the Trobriand where once a year, the dead ancestors would return and visit the living. The natives,however would not fear but celebrate their return during this feast.
In context to the Kula,before the men head out, a spell is fostered for protection against sorcerers/witches when out on the sea. A spell is also done for canoe making to lighten it, to avert other spells (jealousy inland against the Kula trip),to make it stay on course and safety (weather).Gardening is also done with the aid of magic.
Milne Bay, being a highly matrilineal society, the flying witch or yoyova (local) for that matter is the most dreaded, but sometimes revered in terms of their service to the village. The rite of passage in becoming a yoyova is passed from mother to daughter where the girl is initiated from birth where she goes through the first stage upon her first cry as an infant.
The yoyova is known for feasting on the corpse of the dead, so as soon as a person passes on in the village, a magic spell/circle is invoked by the villagers to block off the presence of the yoyova.
The yoyova can also (magically) feast on the entrails of a man if he wanders off secluded, who would then later die of illness unless the man's family seek the service of a known witch who could cast out the spell of the yoyova. Some witch are known due to their service whilst some remain unknown inorder to maintain the survival of their illicit practice.
Inheritance is passed on from the mother's side which means the child would take on from his uncle (mother's brother) rather than his father. Although the father would be there to care for the child,the uncle by tradition is the guardian of the child.
In marriage, it is the wife's family who contributes to the household. That is why some village chiefs are wealthy because having more wives means more contributions from her family. Some chiefs have up to twenty wives. However, Malinowski was told that during the peak of societal norms(as far as the 1800s), a Chief had forty wives.
Women have a high position in tribal life and control several aspects of tribal life.
For instance gardening, although a duty, is considered privileged for women.
An odd custom encountered in this book is that during gardening season, a wanderer (man) should not trespass a women's garden where he runs the risk of being captured and sexually defiled by the women.Chastity is basically unknown in the Trobriand.An unmarried girl is free to do what she wants.
Another odd custom is that during a big mortuary vigil, girls who come from a visiting party(village) are expected to satisfy the wants of the boys of the bereaved village.This among others were the strange customs that were in play during old tribal life.
All in all, the above customs/practices in societal Milne Bay mentioned are those observed by Malinowski during his stay with the Boyowans and his study on the Kula. He had witness the Kula on the island and was once taken on an expedition. However, he was prohibited because one time, during an expedition,they were weatherbound in which the canoe leader attributed to Malinowski as a bearer of bad luck (cast on them by their ancestors).
Malinowski noted that the distinguishing feature of the Kula is that the valuables would be possessed then passed on. This cycle continues as long as the tradition is alive,which according to Malinowski variates from other native economic systems around the world.
Malinowski commented that most of these practices had dwindled or were phased out upon the arrival of the Missionaries on the island.There were instances of natives who out of jealousy, worked with the mission to cull traditional practices and artifacts of historical significance.
A highly informative book about a precolonial society more than a hundred years in the making. A good read to understand the past and how some societies had operated then.
The island was under the colonial territory of Australia at the time after Britain relinquished its authority in 1902.
Malinowski described it (Kula) as a series of inter-tribal exchanges by the several small islands where the natives of Boyowa (Trobriand),Amphletts,Sinaketa,Dobu,Kitavaand other surrounding islands go on expeditions (by canoe on open sea) and present valuables to other persons of the guest island where they are "partnered" with by tradition/choice, valuables such as armshells, necklaces and on occassion heirlooms owned by Chiefs which has any historical significance tied to it.
The system of partnership (lifelong) in the Kula depends on a man's ranking in his village. For instance, the Chief of Boyowa can have up to hundred partners whereas a commoner can only partner a man of his nobility and the guest chief where they go to Kula with.
By tradition, a man can get angry with his partner if he receives a valuable less than what he gives and this could come with disastrous consequence in the form of sorcery because of the significance of the Kula.
The Kula not only unifies the bond between the men, but it also forges an alliance in times of danger and insecurity due to the prevailing force of sorcery and black magic which canvases Milne Bay, which is an entity in itself that has been in existence since the beginning of time on the island (local myth).
A few villages allow women and children aboard the expedition but in most cases,women are barred from taking part in the Kula.
Malinowski, who slept,ate and spoke (Kiriwian) with the Boyowans during the course of his eight months study(1918), structured his book in such a way that it could come as a cross between an anthropological research and a book of spells.
As was the prevalence of magic that time (mid 1910s),Malinowski got from his Trobriand informants spells,incantations,ritualistic practices,taboos and certain rites (sorcerer/witch) pertaining to the actions or inactions of magic.
As mentioned by Malinowski, almost every aspect of life in native Milne Bay is concomitant with magic. He was told of the annual Milamila feast in the Trobriand where once a year, the dead ancestors would return and visit the living. The natives,however would not fear but celebrate their return during this feast.
In context to the Kula,before the men head out, a spell is fostered for protection against sorcerers/witches when out on the sea. A spell is also done for canoe making to lighten it, to avert other spells (jealousy inland against the Kula trip),to make it stay on course and safety (weather).Gardening is also done with the aid of magic.
Milne Bay, being a highly matrilineal society, the flying witch or yoyova (local) for that matter is the most dreaded, but sometimes revered in terms of their service to the village. The rite of passage in becoming a yoyova is passed from mother to daughter where the girl is initiated from birth where she goes through the first stage upon her first cry as an infant.
The yoyova is known for feasting on the corpse of the dead, so as soon as a person passes on in the village, a magic spell/circle is invoked by the villagers to block off the presence of the yoyova.
The yoyova can also (magically) feast on the entrails of a man if he wanders off secluded, who would then later die of illness unless the man's family seek the service of a known witch who could cast out the spell of the yoyova. Some witch are known due to their service whilst some remain unknown inorder to maintain the survival of their illicit practice.
Inheritance is passed on from the mother's side which means the child would take on from his uncle (mother's brother) rather than his father. Although the father would be there to care for the child,the uncle by tradition is the guardian of the child.
In marriage, it is the wife's family who contributes to the household. That is why some village chiefs are wealthy because having more wives means more contributions from her family. Some chiefs have up to twenty wives. However, Malinowski was told that during the peak of societal norms(as far as the 1800s), a Chief had forty wives.
Women have a high position in tribal life and control several aspects of tribal life.
For instance gardening, although a duty, is considered privileged for women.
An odd custom encountered in this book is that during gardening season, a wanderer (man) should not trespass a women's garden where he runs the risk of being captured and sexually defiled by the women.Chastity is basically unknown in the Trobriand.An unmarried girl is free to do what she wants.
Another odd custom is that during a big mortuary vigil, girls who come from a visiting party(village) are expected to satisfy the wants of the boys of the bereaved village.This among others were the strange customs that were in play during old tribal life.
All in all, the above customs/practices in societal Milne Bay mentioned are those observed by Malinowski during his stay with the Boyowans and his study on the Kula. He had witness the Kula on the island and was once taken on an expedition. However, he was prohibited because one time, during an expedition,they were weatherbound in which the canoe leader attributed to Malinowski as a bearer of bad luck (cast on them by their ancestors).
Malinowski noted that the distinguishing feature of the Kula is that the valuables would be possessed then passed on. This cycle continues as long as the tradition is alive,which according to Malinowski variates from other native economic systems around the world.
Malinowski commented that most of these practices had dwindled or were phased out upon the arrival of the Missionaries on the island.There were instances of natives who out of jealousy, worked with the mission to cull traditional practices and artifacts of historical significance.
A highly informative book about a precolonial society more than a hundred years in the making. A good read to understand the past and how some societies had operated then.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2008
the KULA!
August 17, 2013
Non so come ho fatto a dimenticare di aggiungere questo libro! "Superato" per molti aspetti ma imprescindibile nella storia dell'antropologia!
April 8, 2021
long live the Kula
October 23, 2023
Pioneering!
Argonauts of the Western Pacific is a seminal work by Bronisław Malinowski. This groundbreaking ethnographic study provides a detailed and comprehensive examination of the Trobriand Islanders' economic and social systems in the region of Melanesia, specifically the Trobriand Islands.
The book primarily focuses on the Kula Ring, a complex system of ceremonial exchange and trading conducted by the islanders. Malinowski delves into the intricate rituals, customs, and social dynamics surrounding the Kula, which involved the circulation of valuable shell ornaments, known as "kula valuables," in a network spanning various islands and communities. This exchange system played a crucial role in maintaining social cohesion and establishing relationships among the islanders.
Malinowski's work provides valuable insights into the interplay of economics, social structures, and cultural practices in the Trobriand Islands. He emphasizes the importance of fieldwork and participant observation as essential tools for understanding the native culture and society, setting a methodological standard for future anthropological research.
The book also explores the roles of individuals in this complex system, detailing the prestige, reputation, and social status tied to participation in the Kula. Malinowski's observations shed light on the Trobriand Islanders' perceptions of wealth, gift-giving, and reciprocity.
In addition to the Kula, Malinowski discusses other aspects of Trobriand culture, including magic, spirituality, and social organization. He provides a holistic view of the Trobriand way of life and their unique customs.
"Argonauts of the Western Pacific" is considered a foundational text in the field of anthropology. It has had a lasting influence on the study of indigenous societies, economic systems, and the methodology of ethnographic research. Bronisław Malinowski's work in the Trobriand Islands is celebrated for its meticulous detail and its role in shaping the discipline of anthropology.
Recommended!
Argonauts of the Western Pacific is a seminal work by Bronisław Malinowski. This groundbreaking ethnographic study provides a detailed and comprehensive examination of the Trobriand Islanders' economic and social systems in the region of Melanesia, specifically the Trobriand Islands.
The book primarily focuses on the Kula Ring, a complex system of ceremonial exchange and trading conducted by the islanders. Malinowski delves into the intricate rituals, customs, and social dynamics surrounding the Kula, which involved the circulation of valuable shell ornaments, known as "kula valuables," in a network spanning various islands and communities. This exchange system played a crucial role in maintaining social cohesion and establishing relationships among the islanders.
Malinowski's work provides valuable insights into the interplay of economics, social structures, and cultural practices in the Trobriand Islands. He emphasizes the importance of fieldwork and participant observation as essential tools for understanding the native culture and society, setting a methodological standard for future anthropological research.
The book also explores the roles of individuals in this complex system, detailing the prestige, reputation, and social status tied to participation in the Kula. Malinowski's observations shed light on the Trobriand Islanders' perceptions of wealth, gift-giving, and reciprocity.
In addition to the Kula, Malinowski discusses other aspects of Trobriand culture, including magic, spirituality, and social organization. He provides a holistic view of the Trobriand way of life and their unique customs.
"Argonauts of the Western Pacific" is considered a foundational text in the field of anthropology. It has had a lasting influence on the study of indigenous societies, economic systems, and the methodology of ethnographic research. Bronisław Malinowski's work in the Trobriand Islands is celebrated for its meticulous detail and its role in shaping the discipline of anthropology.
Recommended!
September 30, 2020
A classic work on anthropology in which the author outlines his findings about Kula, an institution that links (or linked?) thousands of individuals scattered over hundreds of miles on the islands off Eastern Papua New Guinea, through ceremonial trading.
My warning is that this is a deeply fact driven book that isn't aiming to entertain but to inform. This can be especially noticeable when the author is spending 20 pages describing the intricate system of magic that the Trobriand islanders believe allow their canoes to sail quickly. Not the most absorbing stuff.
That said, he writes well, and I found most of the content pretty engrossing. The stories of how a completely independent group of humans organise their lives sent me two stark messages:
1. Most of the things we care about day-to-day are just products of the place we grow up/live - something we might all intellectually know, but it is still shocking to read about a society in which every motive can seem quite so alien; to be reminded again how conditional all of your regular thoughts are.
2. There are some vast and suprising commonalities between people. The same fundamental human drives can be seen in Kula interactions or in starbucks. The author occasionally attempts to get across what it feels like to be part of this culture, for example when setting forth through the myth-swaddled islands on one of these large trading expeditions. I really felt at these moments that, at some level, you understand the motivations at work.
My warning is that this is a deeply fact driven book that isn't aiming to entertain but to inform. This can be especially noticeable when the author is spending 20 pages describing the intricate system of magic that the Trobriand islanders believe allow their canoes to sail quickly. Not the most absorbing stuff.
That said, he writes well, and I found most of the content pretty engrossing. The stories of how a completely independent group of humans organise their lives sent me two stark messages:
1. Most of the things we care about day-to-day are just products of the place we grow up/live - something we might all intellectually know, but it is still shocking to read about a society in which every motive can seem quite so alien; to be reminded again how conditional all of your regular thoughts are.
2. There are some vast and suprising commonalities between people. The same fundamental human drives can be seen in Kula interactions or in starbucks. The author occasionally attempts to get across what it feels like to be part of this culture, for example when setting forth through the myth-swaddled islands on one of these large trading expeditions. I really felt at these moments that, at some level, you understand the motivations at work.
December 27, 2022
Este libro lo leí alrededor del 2018 por recomendación de un profesor. En ese momento tendría unos 15 años y casi todos los relatos compilados aquí me fascinaron y me hicieron desear saber más de antropología. Si bien mi destino académico (de momento) no me ha guiado por esos lares, es una obra que recomiendo inmensamente para todo aquel que desee disfrutar de lejanas culturas más allá de la ficción.
Le di 5 estrellas a pesar de que no todos los textos fueron de la misma calidad por un único motivo: aquellos que más recuerdo merecen no 5, sino 6 estrellas, y su esplendor bien vale un poco de beatitud hacia la obra en su conjunto.
Debo aclarar que, por supuesto, se trata de una obra producto de su época. Algunas terminologías y definiciones pueden chirriarnos hoy en día, pero leyéndola de forma situada no es, en ningún caso, menos que admirable.
Le di 5 estrellas a pesar de que no todos los textos fueron de la misma calidad por un único motivo: aquellos que más recuerdo merecen no 5, sino 6 estrellas, y su esplendor bien vale un poco de beatitud hacia la obra en su conjunto.
Debo aclarar que, por supuesto, se trata de una obra producto de su época. Algunas terminologías y definiciones pueden chirriarnos hoy en día, pero leyéndola de forma situada no es, en ningún caso, menos que admirable.
January 5, 2019
I had to read this book as an undergraduate in Anthropology in the mid-90's. This has to be one of THE most horrible ethnographies I have ever been forced to read. We read it in order to compare it to a later ethnography written about the Trobriander Islanders, like 50 years later.
For the love of EVERYTHING on Earth, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. Not even if your professor wants you to. I am hoping that young aspiring anthropologists are no longer tortured with this pile of racist and sexist, colonizer garbage.
This dude also has NO idea how to write and if I remember correctly, there were some pages with almost nothing but solid words and almost no punctuation.
Please, don't...
For the love of EVERYTHING on Earth, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. Not even if your professor wants you to. I am hoping that young aspiring anthropologists are no longer tortured with this pile of racist and sexist, colonizer garbage.
This dude also has NO idea how to write and if I remember correctly, there were some pages with almost nothing but solid words and almost no punctuation.
Please, don't...
June 19, 2022
DF, only because reading this on a computer while bothered by other stuff is a tough task I am not up to, no thanks. As an anthropologist in the making it's quite compulsory that I have to read this entirely but I will do that another day with a better copy and more time and attention.
July 7, 2024
Exceptional book regarding both implementing new ways of scientific research based on methodology and a seminal approach in dealing with vastly different cultural contexts than the ones previously established as a basis for aforementioned research. 5/5
April 18, 2018
desriptive and detailed account about the KULA ceremony by the Trobrianders.
April 4, 2019
Read this for my Reading Ethnography Anthropology Course and it was intriguing but wasnt too keen on it.
August 26, 2019
This book is really outstanding.
November 21, 2020
Hermosa inmersión a la vida de los argonautas del pacífico occidental.
Read
April 2, 2021i didn't read the whole book but tbh the part i read for class and the analysis i did count as reading it whole ;p
August 13, 2021
I do not interpret the "Kula Ring" as a simulation because it is self-referential but as a "second indicative mood", a substantial "second reality" of the souls...
December 19, 2021
For someone just wanting to know something about a native culture, there is probably a bit much detail. But as an ethnographic study I deem it really good (though I'm not an ethnographer myself).
Read
January 18, 2022Some chapters
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