Lana, Kelly and Julien
Chapter 3- Fathers & Matrilineality
Interrupted Sleep
• Naseluma has given birth
• Baby is place in a wooden type crate that is placed above a fire that never dies
• mother and mother’s sister helped with the birth
• birth is a very private event, most Trobriand events are public
• At marriage, a woman goes to live with her husband
• Most marriages take place between young people who live near each other
• Each village (valu) is divided into sections called hamlets (katuposula)
• Each hamlet represents a matrilineage
• Marriage is exogamous within a hamlet but not within the village
• Now that Namseluma’s son was born, her and her baby are secluded for two months
• Naseluma’s husband and his kin are required to bring her food
Birth and Ancestors
• Trobrianders believe that at death, the spirit (baloma) of the deceased becomes youthful again
and lives on island of Tuma
• In time, the baloma ages and rejuvenates by bathing in sea water
• When this occurs, a spirt child called waiwaia, a term that means “infant” or “fetus” is created
-the spirit child is thought to belong to the matrilineal of its own birth
The
spirit child must return to Kiriwina, where it enters a woman’s body and causes her to
•
become pregnant
The
fetus is formed by the combination of a woman’s blood and an ancestral spirit
•
(sibububula) it acquires its mother’s matrilineal identity
• An infant always receives a name from its mother that previously belonged to a deceased
member of her matrilineal, making this ancestral connection more possible
• Some believed that a particular baloma would come to a woman and tell her in a dream that a
waiwaia was being sent
• Others thought a woman’s pregnancy was induced by magic spells, the words of the spell
would instruct the baloma to send a spirit child to the woman who wants a baby
• Or woman who want to be pregnant bathe in the sea where waiwaia spirits often might be
floating back to Kiriwina from Tuma
The Other Matrilineage
Kopoi – when villagers care for a dead person/ to feed / to nurse an infant
- Even though mothers have a strong role in nurturing their child, the father has a role too.
- Contribute by complimenting the way the mother is raising her child through their actions
- Birth of child belongs only to mother and not to father, right of birth to have privileges in
matrilineal property
- Ancestral name marks birth rights, first recognition of matrilineal identity (not really used
except for chief… which is confusing)
-
Child uses name given to them by fathers sister but cannot pass on this name to their
children (only a loan name)
Child also has rights to the property from the fathers matrilineage
Two steps of pregnancy – first step strictly involves ancestral spirit and matrilineal family,
second step involves patrilineal, because it involves frequent intercourse to develop fetus
Man’s involvement in child (second step of pregnancy and the fathers matrilineal name) is
only publicly recognised is he is married to the mother.
If a pregnancy happens without marriage, fathers role and the whole pregnancy is not
publicly recognised as her being husbandless.
Mom and other people of village feel shamed for “fatherless” child
A Father’s Care
-
-
Father is responsible for enhancing kids beauty – when baby only few months, dressed in
shells by father (adds beauty potential, symbolize first important political step)
Light skin, round smooth face, full but not bulging lips, and perfect nose is beautiful, beauty
magic is used extensively
Kuwa necklace (made of red chama shells and banana seeds) placed on babies neck by father
Men have kula necklaces made from same shells but longer, fathers sometime take theirs
apart to make shorter kuwa necklace for their kid
The kind of shells a man has indicates his wealth and political connections
Before presenting their child with necklace, must first present with tortoise shell earrings
(easier task than necklace)
Girl earrings have valuable red kaloma shells on them
Earrings signify fathers wealth and presence, child with no pierced is called
gudukubukwabuya, which means fatherless if ears are pierced by no earrings the child is
poor
If child has no father, mothers brother can also bring child earrings
Necklaces and earrings show beauty and political value.
Hard Words
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-
When hard words are used, like calling someone’s kid fatherless if it’s the truth, Cn only be
resolved by fighting, suicide or sorcery (a threat that must be answered)
Anything you say or do as a mistake or threat is remembered always and can be used for
severe repercussions
Example – two men were in an argument over a plot of land, then one of them said that the
others cousin had no father, so he attempted to kill the accuser. The only reason they did not
fight to the death is because both families had a lot of intermarriage (lead to more fighting
through retribution and torn relationships of the children)
Children intensify the political negotiations in which their parents are involved
*Words in green are anthropological concepts*
THEME 1: BELIEF SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES
 This theme discusses religion, myths, rituals, magic, and other topics.
 Myths/magic/rituals (A religious ceremony consisting of actions performed according to
a predetermined order)
 Baloma, the spirit of a deceased member of the matrilineage (matrilineal descent;
descent traced exclusively through the female line to establish group
membership), becomes youthful after death by bathing in the sea and returns to
mother’s womb in the form of the waiwaia, the spirit child. After conception, the
combination of the woman’s own blood and the ancestral spirit, is referred to as
the sibububula.
 The waiwaia spirit cannot stay on Tuma, and travels back to Kiriwana where it
enters a woman’s body [enters woman only of the same matrilineage of its
original baloma spirit].
 Conception- according to one belief, the woman conceives (become pregnant)
solely through an ancestral spirit from her matrilineage while some believe that
one requires “property from another matrilineage” (57) as well, therefore
signifying the importance of the father’s role.
 After conception with the spirit, one requires frequent sexual intercourse to help
develop the child “without compromising its ‘true’ (mokita) matrilineal identity”
(57).
 Sorcery is used as a way to solve conflicts after “hard words” are said.
 Using magic “even ugly faces become handsome” (63)
THEME 2: INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS AND SOCIETY
 This theme discusses socialization, status and role, public and private, gender and
sexuality and many more topics.
 Private and Public
 Most trobriand events are public, whereas the birth of a child is private.
 The birth of a child only brings the closest matrilineal female kin and maybe the
visiting anthropologist.
 Status & Prestige ( the social esteem others hold for an individual) .
 “The prestige attached to a particularly fine necklace comes from its relations to
kula shells…If a man is the owner of a few of these highly valued kula necklaces,
he may…restring it into the shorter kuwa necklaces for his children” (60). 
These kula shells symbolize a man’s wealth.
 The necklaces enhance the men’s prestige and social status.
 Social control (Control over groups through coercion) and legal systems
 The court is based around the beliefs of the Trobrianders since it is sympathetic to
their traditional explanations of events [i.e. magic].
 Division of Labour and Specialization : Role of the mother
 Conception occurs through women and their ancestral spirits.
 “Only women give ancestral names to their children” (56) since the names given
by the father’s matrilineage are considered loans which cannot be passed on by
their children.
Role of the father
 During the second stage of conception, “frequent sexual intercourse” (57) from
the man is required to help develop the fetus [nurturing- kopoi].
 In Trobriand eyes, public responsibility for the economic care of the child falls to
its father.  provide children with food and wealth
 Responsible for enhancing child’s beauty  “baby is decorated with shells by its
father to make it socially beautiful” (59) [i.e. tortoise earrings]
 The men’s contributions are a symbol (sounds or gestures that stand for meaning
among a group of people) of the enhancement of the child’s potential power
 his contribution is an action and hence a gesture
 Cultural Control (control through beliefs and values deeply internalized in the
minds or individuals)
 Those necklaces are a sign of a man’s wealth and his presence in the life of his
child
 Therefore, they are largely significant. Not weaning them is shameful
 Sara’s daughter had earrings even though Sarah is not married.
 Sarah is culturally controlled where they made her believe that it is
necessary to have a father. This is the reason why her daughter wears the
necklace
THEME 3: KINSHIP AS ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE
 This theme discusses marriage, rights and property, rules of descents and residence and
other topics.
 Rules of descent
 The members of the matrilineage descent are responsible for the child’s birth
while the members of Patrilineal descent are responsible for the child’s living.
 The father provides his future child with rights to his own matrilineage and
creates obligations for the child such as the distribution of wealth during
mourning.
 If the father and mother of the child are unmarried, one must ignore the father’s
role therefore eliminating the father’s obligations to the child and vice versa.
 General Reciprocity (a form of exchange in which the value of the gift is not
calculated, nor is the time or repayment specified)
 Trobriand babies receive a lot of attention from everyone in the village
and other villages.
 Residence/ Marriage
 Each village, valu, is divided into sections called hamlets, katuposula. A hamlet
represents a matrilineage [only few people from kin reside their].
 Exogamy (Marriage outside the group): “Marriage is exogamous within a hamlet
but not within a village” (53).
 Conflict
 “Hard words” in the Trobriand society “would create a tense situation that would
have to be resolved only by fighting, suicide, or sorcery” (61).
 The death of two possible individuals “would destroy the long-term relationships
between their own matrilineal and affinal kin (relatives by marriage)” (62).