Kitava, the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea
The Trobiand Islands lie at the heart of Papua New Guinea’s Kula Trade Ring. The amazing, highly formal system of trade in two items – necklaces of red Spondylus shells (soulava) and armbands of white Conus shells (mwali). These lack any apparent practical value but have such great cultural significance that men regularly risk their lives on voyages to obtain them from their trading partners, only to trade them on, and so they circulate around the Kula Ring. Having learned of this from Bob Tonkinson yesterday, we were anxious for our visit to Kitava, an important Kula site. Little did we know what awaited us!
We gathered on the beach under a large, spreading Callophylum tree, where we were greeted by not one but four welcoming dances from different groups. Young men, with their loins girded in leaves and their faces painted in black and white, strutted and grunted in formation to the rhythmic blast of a whistle, at each step thrusting forward their pelvis. Their exuberance in this performance was unmistakable. Suitably greeted, we walked over the raised coral island to reach the Primary School, which serves the several villages of Kitava. There the main event awaited us. As we passed down the final slope of the trail and looked out over the school football pitch (soccer field), we saw not a few waiting dancers but a sea of dance groups assembling, 33 in all, dancers young and old. Clearly, this event had passed far beyond a dance to entertain visiting tourists to become an island-wide cultural phenomenon. Those not costumed for the dance were there to participate by watching, calling greetings to dancers, beaming proudly as their children danced, and laughing hysterically at any missteps or costume malfunctions. What began as a large arena became smaller and smaller as the watchers pushed forward, and dancers who had finished their turn in the arena joined the audience. It became almost frenzied as several dance groups occupied the arena at a time. While we could not know the significance of each of the dances and their associated costumes (many of white feathers, flowers, and plants of the forest), the exuberance, joy, and cultural pride of the dancers was quite evident. By witnessing, we felt as though we were participants.
The Trobiand Islands lie at the heart of Papua New Guinea’s Kula Trade Ring. The amazing, highly formal system of trade in two items – necklaces of red Spondylus shells (soulava) and armbands of white Conus shells (mwali). These lack any apparent practical value but have such great cultural significance that men regularly risk their lives on voyages to obtain them from their trading partners, only to trade them on, and so they circulate around the Kula Ring. Having learned of this from Bob Tonkinson yesterday, we were anxious for our visit to Kitava, an important Kula site. Little did we know what awaited us!
We gathered on the beach under a large, spreading Callophylum tree, where we were greeted by not one but four welcoming dances from different groups. Young men, with their loins girded in leaves and their faces painted in black and white, strutted and grunted in formation to the rhythmic blast of a whistle, at each step thrusting forward their pelvis. Their exuberance in this performance was unmistakable. Suitably greeted, we walked over the raised coral island to reach the Primary School, which serves the several villages of Kitava. There the main event awaited us. As we passed down the final slope of the trail and looked out over the school football pitch (soccer field), we saw not a few waiting dancers but a sea of dance groups assembling, 33 in all, dancers young and old. Clearly, this event had passed far beyond a dance to entertain visiting tourists to become an island-wide cultural phenomenon. Those not costumed for the dance were there to participate by watching, calling greetings to dancers, beaming proudly as their children danced, and laughing hysterically at any missteps or costume malfunctions. What began as a large arena became smaller and smaller as the watchers pushed forward, and dancers who had finished their turn in the arena joined the audience. It became almost frenzied as several dance groups occupied the arena at a time. While we could not know the significance of each of the dances and their associated costumes (many of white feathers, flowers, and plants of the forest), the exuberance, joy, and cultural pride of the dancers was quite evident. By witnessing, we felt as though we were participants.
