I got this book from a little book market by the Bytowne Theater. I was looking at some books set outside while passing. Most looked boring, but this one stood out to me -and it was $0.47 plus tax.
This book is written by an anthropologist from the University of Sydney and it's his description of the Koaka Speakers from his stay with them on the Guadalcanal island. He describes many different aspects of the culture including problem resolution, sex and marriage, and the headman which i found the most interesting.
MAGIC and RELIGION
An interesting point to note about this culture is that their moral system is not inbeded in their religion. For example, adultery, one of the greatest crimes, is not a religious taboo. In fact, they have a strong moral system which is followed quite well, and religion is reserved for explaining illnesses and giving hope for a prosperous clan. Another interesting thing included in their religion is mana. This is like the north american luck, except is a religious force rather than a mathematical probability. So as north americans will hope that probabilities positively befall them, the Kaoka speakers try to sway this energy in their direction. Any man can shoot an arrow, but it's mana that makes it a mortal shot. this is different from their magic. As mana is an outside force that is everywhere and out there, magic is possessed by man and is manifested through man. Magic is used to have influence on other people. As will be discussed further, if a person is upset by someone in a minor way, they are encouraged not to confront them, but to secretly cast voodoo on the person for illness (note that the illness should not be fatal). If a person gets sick, they take it for granted that they upset someone, but make no effort to find out who because the voodoo is done so secretly and one could never prove it was a particular person. The magic is also used to express hope such as when they want a prostitute to bring them lots of income. This i will also explain further.
PROSTITUTION
The prostitution is the most interesting part for me, and what made me check to see how much the book cost. I thought this little tit bit was worth the two quarters. I hope you feel the same. Outside forces had made the following activity illegal, but it was an integral part of their economy. Children as young as seven would play together and pretend husband and wife. this was only shunned when the boy wanted to be a 'real' husband. Females are expected to remain a virgin until marriage. Marriage usually occurs after the girl's puberty rights. the puberty rights happen after her breasts begin to swell, rather than at menarche (first rag). If a gurl is found to sleep with a guy b4 marriage her bride price goes down to about half. The man will be charged a fee (of string and dog or shark teeth) to the family of the gurl. At this time they may be forced to marry. Because there is not a lot of privacy. the clan does find out. at this point the father will give the girl to an uncle to try and reclaim the bride price. sometimes she'll marry to another clan for the full bride price. if not the uncle or someone eles will manage her as a prostitute. a magic spell is cast on her, by collecting brightly coloured leaves and also those with irritants, and rub it in her bed. then a chant is recited which is worth quoting here:
She is ever restless, strolling up and down.
She itches all the time for men.
Sores do not afflict her, and her skin is without blemish.
Her skin shines and glows like a crimson Cordyline leaf in a dark forest.
Men look at her and think of copulation.
She belongs to no clan, she has no kinsfolk.
She arouses desire in the trees ans in the stones.
She seeks men always, knowing not night from day.
She wants penis all the time.
She needs no sleep, she feels no shame.
She is like a bitch in heat, attracting dogs in the darkness and in the sunlight.
She does not wait or pause, she is always ready.
And the young men desire her also.
Yet her womb is closed, and she never conceives.
She is a tree without fruit.
(p.20)
This makes her hot supple and ready for sex. In the clan, she gets three dog teeth per trick, but when the men go trading they bring her along, where she can get 5 dog teeth per trick. When she becomes pregnant or looses her initial youthful features, they cast another spell on her to make her a wonderful faithful wife. A woman who was a prostitute can marry any one, even the headman, so her opportunities are not not limited by her career. Also, women who were prostitutes are equally faithful in marriage as those that kept it in their pants.
PROBLEM RESOLUTION
The last bit i wanna talk about is problem resolution. the Koaka speakers are encouraged to avoid conflict as much as possible. As mentioned earlier, if one is upset about a minor offense, they are to carry out voodoo. however, if they are more upset about a situation and make an out burst, other come to break up the fight. if in two or three days, the individual is still upset, they go with their family and tell the other why exactly they are upset. all parties leave their weapons at home just incase it gets heated. if it does get heated the headman breaks up the fight. if the problem ensues, a town meeting is called where only the elders speak, save the two involved. the headman explains how he views the situation, then each person deliberates their story. then the elders give advice on a resolution. there is no voting and no on takes sides. at any time in this whole thing if the person causing the upset apologizes, it's done, or if it was something unavoidable, they offer a gift of sting and teeth to make up for it.
Yeah, so the book is filled with interesting tidbits like this.. very enjoyable read.
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