1.

Record Nr.

UNISA996210411703316

Autore

Pouwer Jan

Titolo

Gender, ritual and social formation in West Papua : a configurational analysis comparing Kamoro and Asmat / / Jan Pouwer

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Leiden - Boston, : Brill, 2010

Leiden : , : KITLV Press, , 2010

ISBN

90-04-25372-6

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (x, 300 pages) : illustrations, maps

Collana

Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde ; ; 258

Disciplina

953.0049912

Soggetti

Mimika (Indonesian people)

Asmat (Indonesian people)

Ethnology

Manners and customs

Ritual

Sex role

Social conditions

Papua Barat (Indonesia) Social conditions

Papua Barat (Indonesia) Social life and customs

Indonesia Papua Barat

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes glossary, bibliographical references (pages [281]-288) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Preliminary Material -- Chapter I: Prologue -- Chapter II: The ‘female’ contribution to life: Ema Kame rituals -- Chapter III: The ‘male’ contribution to life: Kaware ritual -- Chapter IV: The initiation of male adolescents -- Chapter V: Marking death -- Chapter VI: The theory of comparison and the context of the rituals -- Chapter VII: Ema Kame and Emak Cem -- Chapter VIII: Honouring the dead: Asmat display and performance -- Chapter IX: Male to female: Social opposition versus communal solidarity -- Chapter X: Initiating young males and commemorating the dead: On nose piercing and spirit poles -- Chapter XI: Asmat headhunting and the initiation of male adolescents -- Chapter XII: Conclusions -- Chapter XIII: Epilogue -- Glossary --



Bibliography -- Index.

Sommario/riassunto

This study, based on a lifelong involvement with New Guinea, compares the culture of the Kamoro (18,000 people) with that of their eastern neighbours, the Asmat (40,000), both living on the south coast of West Papua, Indonesia. The comparison, showing substantial differences as well as striking similarities, contributes to a deeper understanding of both cultures. Part I looks at Kamoro society and culture through the window of its ritual cycle, framed by gender. Part II widens the view, offering in a comparative fashion a more detailed analysis of the socio-political and cosmo-mythological setting of the Kamoro and the Asmat rituals. Next is a systematic comparison of the rituals. The comparison includes a cross-cultural, structural analysis of relevant myths. This publication is of interest to scholars and students in Oceanic studies and those drawn to the comparative study of cultures. Jan Pouwer (1924) started his career as a government anthropologist in West New Guinea in the 1950s and 1960s, with periods of intensive fieldwork, in particular among the Kamoro. A distinguished anthropologist, he held professorships at universities around the world.