Notes for Anthropology Seminar: Death and the Work of mourning
Summary of Uwelasi’s death
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Uwelasi was an old, but powerful chief who lived in a village about five miles from Kwaibwaga
He had been previously ill for several weeks and everyone knew in the village that he was close
to death
Although he was dying , the villagers made him look beautiful and young
The village and Weiner were still thinking about the big question of who magic was killing the
Uwelasi. They believe that a death is the result of a sorcery (bwagau)effected by a specialist who
chants magic spells into the victims’ betel nut or tobacco which came to the conclusion that
someone wanted him dead
Uwelasi’s ally, his successor, and his closest of kin who questioned him privately about who gave
you betels to chew or who walked to Losuia with you, made them possible suspects
Weiner says when the deceased is whether a politically important person or a child, villagers see
this as an attack on matrilineage for the next generalization
Also the ancestral pair (dala) usually a woman and her brother (matrilineage) brought with them
some or all of the folowing: Special body and house decorations, ancestral names, magic spell,
food taboos and songs and dances and each pair choose a place to build their houses and marked
out areas for garden lands
According to the histories of specific matrilineages, some brought more paraphernalia than others
The more important the paraphernalia were, the higher were ranked the family members of the
matrilineage who owned them
Because of death or offences like murder or adultery, lose parts of their ancestral land or the
paraphernalia, making relationship between matrilineages to be possible of distrust and
competition
Also a person belongs to one of the four named matrilineal clans (kumila) which unlike
matrilineage do not have chiefs or leader nor share property( land, magic spells). Ultimately the
members of the same clan have the same amount of bird, animal and plant totems but the main
function of clans are to separate villagers into marriageable or non-marriageable categories
The Trobrianders believe that if a matrilineage is weakened by the death of a man that someone
is intentionally trying to weaken the autonomy of a matrilineage’s chief
Finally, when child-bearing women die, for then the villagers believe one’s intent is to destroy a
whole matrilineage which could lead to the destruction of a matrilineage and the rank of the
lineage that may be claimed by others
Summary of “owners” & “workers”
 Based around kinship that is the main key factor in defining the ensuing drama that each person
will play
 The “owners of the dead person’s things”(toliuli) are of Uwelasi’s matrilineage assisted by other
clan members in charge of organizing the burial and exchanges that follow
 The “workers”(toliyouwa) are villagers from other clans related to Uwelasi’s marriage or
patrilaterally
 Primary workers include all his wives and the members of their matrilineage, the father’s
matrilineage his own or adopted children, his friends and political allies and their job is to sit with the
body and prepare the grave
 After burial, they shave off all their hair, paint their bodies black with charred pieces of coconut
husks, wearing mourning clothes
 The owners must refrain from touching the corpse, dig the grave or carry the body to the grave
site and not do the previous tasks that the workers did before
 The owners have the ability to give away their resources
 The members of Uwelasi’s matrilineage must repay all those members of other matrilineages
close to him
 Traditionally at a chief’s death, villagers gather for three days and night to mourn, however the
Australian government demanded that burials occur quickly for sanitation reasons so they take place
on the after the first all night vigil
 Part of men’s work is to morun by sining but can lead to competition, but ultimately unifies entire
gathering and eliminates tenson produced by belief that sorcery causes death
 No one sleeps during the night is to show respect to the owners
 Nott to ourn appropriately is to imply that you caused the death
 Tuma was the villagers belief that Uwelasi’s spirit would join the other spirits of dead
Trobrianders as youthful spirits
 The singers maintained their vigil outside , most of the women attended to Uwelasi
 Kopoi was the responsibility of carrying the body
 Each of his sons wore a pubic covering from a green pandanus leaf and the daughters dressed in
an undyed banana-fiber skirt
 Outside, the sons and daughters danced a solemn two step each carrying one of Uwelasi’s
personal items
 Finally, the culturally dictated emotions in the first stage of mourning hides each person’s
feelings
Anthropological Themes & Terms
 First term is symbolism
 When Uwelasi died, the villagers put white coweries-shells decorations to mark his chief rank
around his legs, waist, and forehead
 Red shell necklaces were put around his neck as a symbol of youth
 Second term is function
 Main function of matrilineal clans are to separate villagers into marriageable or non-marriageable
categories
 The third term is participant observation several times
 Using passive participation, Weiner learned the belief of dressing a high a ranking chief with a
red shell necklace (chiefly rank) and white cowrie-shell decorations(youth) and active participation
when she was participating in mourning for Uwelasi
 Sleeping at night during mourning death is disrespectful to the owners
 Anthropolgical theme is Kinship as an organizing principle
 Through rules of descent one can see that matrilineage is the decent group used among the
Trobrianders
 In terms of mourning a death of an individual, the matrilineage and other matrilineal clans and
patralineage are very important in handling the death
 Through family and household, one learns that if they are of the individual’s matrilineage that
they have different jobs to do than one who is not part of the matrilineage
 So the owners are responsible for organizing the burial and the exchanges while workers sit with
the body and prepare the grave
The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea - Chapter 2: The Threat of Sorcery
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First off, any behaviour that resembles hostile feelings or expressive anger may lead to
sorcery, especially for the Trobrianders. "Past errors are always part of present
circumstances," meaning that no one will forget a mistake made in the past.
This is why around the Trobrianders, Weiner feels obligated of not allowing her face to
express how she really thought of someone. Sorcery strongly affects their behaviours.
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The idea of Sorcery is much more complicated than the feeling of a person's anger or
jealousy.
Just because of sorcery, someone of a matrilineage, the line of descent from the maternal or
female ancestry, may actually be killed because of other living or dead kin.
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This idea relates to kinship as an organizing principle. We already know that this is
an important concept within the Trobrianders. Rules of descent are revealed as
someone of a matrilineage may be punished due their family.
Children may also be sorcerized as a result, in order to weaken their father's power.
Sorcery, killing and stealing land are referred to as "big mistakes," also being mistakes
unforgotten by the Trobrianders.
This is referring to the idea of past errors are always part of present circumstances within the
Trobrianders.
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Most power magic spells for sorcery are known by a handful of men, yet this knowledge
is not limited to just the chiefs. Those who ask one of these other men to perform his craft
must pay a large stone axe-blade, which is a heavy payment.
Wealthy men would have axe-blades hidden buried under their homes. Say a wealthy man
had 10 or 20 axe-blades, due to the fact that they have always been hidden, we would never
know how many he has used in order to pay someone else to perform their crafts.
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Women may also learn these spells, but they are not suspected of such as the informant
says that "women do not walk about at night." Though when suspected of sorcery, they're
thought to be "flying witches," who are people enabled to leave their bodies while asleep.
They then destroy a vital organ while being invisible.
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Flying witches are the only ones who can heal or attack these victims or patients, a power
believed to be inherited through women.
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This may also mean that they can be either good, or bad, meaning that sorcery, magic,
and spells may be used for good as well.
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This again relates to kinship as their beliefs heavily rely on the idea that these
powers are inherited from women, and even children learn it from the women.
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This also relates to moral systems as these beliefs of sorcery and magic regulate the
life of individual society. There is the idea of what is good and what is evil, whether
they choose to use their powers to cure or to injure. A lot of the Trobrianders suffer
do to these beliefs, due to whether or not they may be targeted.
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These women are heavily feared, those often suspected to be flying witches will be given
items so she would not be angered. This portrays how heavily beliefs regulate the lives of
individuals within the Trobrianders.
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During dark nights, villagers would often shut their doors tightly while going to sleep
early due to their fear.
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Western influences have the tendency to raise beliefs of sorcery. Often those who work
elsewhere from Papua New Guinea are believed to bring back chemical poisons to kill
their enemies. To them, these Western poisons are impervious to traditional curing,
giving these poisons the name of a "new form of sorcery.
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This would be related to ethnocentrism on the Trobrianders' behalf, they look at
chemical poisons as Western poisons to be incurable. Plus, to the Trobrianders, they
call these chemicals that cause sicknesses to be a new form of sorcery.
Once someone dies, they are seen as victims of someone else. This is often believed to be
due to sorcery, as it is the ultimate threat within the culture. Plus, at death, owners of the
dead stand together to repay the workers, representing the strength of matrilineage.
Sorcery tends to threaten chiefs much more, seeing how chieftaincy is inherited through
matrilineage.
Matrilineality plays a huge role within the Trobrainders because of chieftaincy, if a chief were
to lose their matrilineage and pass away, his son would take place as head of matrilineage, but
would not be technically considered a chief. This is what happened with Uwelasi, as he died and
lost his matrilineage as well, his son had nothing else to claim and as a result, not being able to
truly become the chief. The kinship had then lost all of their power, authority, leadership, status
and role within the political organization.
An important concept within this section would be the understanding of belief systems and
practices within the threat of sorcery. Sorcery is a huge threat within the Trobrianders, any signs
of expressive anger or hostile feelings are claims of behaviour that lead to sorcery. This causes
them to disguise their feelings about each other. Sorcery has become such a threat that it may
even result to a member of a matrilineage to be killed, which then threatens Chiefs within the
Trobrianders as well since they may lose their matrilineage, which heavily affects kinship and
political organization. Their beliefs affect how they act within their culture and with the people
around them, often they all take precautions when they fear of being victimized themselves. This
underlines a characteristic of culture, as they all have shared ideals, values, beliefs as well as
having standards of behaviour, all due to their belief of sorcery.
Chapter 2 - "Carrying" the Dead Person
Steps before burial
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Shell decorations of the dead would be removed, symbols of rank were found to be too
valuable to bury.
Then wrapped completely in large pandanus mats.
Finally, some effort is made to keep some of the body alive.
 Women who "carried" the body would cut some hair and remove fingernails which
were put in white cowrie shells which had been worn as a long red shell necklace,
representing a way of continual mourning.
 The matrilineage reveals them as individuals, groups and a society, as their status,
role, gender and sexuality plays a role in their ritual in reinforcing their social
structures and cultural dynamics.
Around ten men would carry the body on their shoulders as they quickly go to the grave
site. They would then lower the body onto the grave lined with woven mats. Their roles
also reinforce their social structures and cultural dynamics.
Burial Process and the Men's Role
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Although, when most villages are buried nothing is buried with them, chiefs, often some
important objects will be placed in the grave with them in order to be displayed as a
symbol of his political power. This is how their burial reveal standards within Political
Organization.
 Uwelasi was buried with three 12-foot-long yams which are difficult to grow. In his
case, these yams were resembling spirits that will assure him that he keeps his
political power as well as retain the same position of importance.
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Beliefs Systems and Practices played a role within the process of burial. Their beliefs of
sorcery, and how Uwelasi was known for his magic made the workers bury his body
faced down, believing that it prevents his dreaded malevolent spirit, or kosi, from leaving
his grave. These shared beliefs within the culture causes someone else with powerful
magic to guard the grave for several days.
Due to these beliefs, taboos would involve the strict seclusion of the surviving spouse,
although spouses took care of the body most of all people during the marriage. Which
underlines ideas of moral systems and kinship.
Spouses of the person, the widow or widower are now not allowed to speak to others for
the following few days, not allowed to smoke or chew betel nuts. Any form of work is
also now considered as taboo => Underlining ideas and concepts of moral systems.
Taboos are often placed upon spouses as days following the burial pass by.
 Often these taboos, if not placed on the spouse, it will be followed by those of the
matrilineage.
 those of the matrilineage, as public mourners, must shave their heads while also
having blackened their bodies.
 They wear long undyed banana-fied skirts that reach their ankles.
 Men would wear black sarongs.
 Both the men and women would wear black necklaces, woven from plant fibers.
 These necklaces were worn until the final mourning is terminated, they'd take off the
necklaces in a special ceremony, allowing the connection with the dead to be freed.
 A secluded mourner's name would also become a taboo.
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In this section, taboos are often spoken of. These taboos are what regulate the lives of the
spouses of the matrilineage of the dead, and with this, the concept of moral systems is
highlighted in this section. Spouses have to stay within their homes and many taboos are placed
upon them which end up regulating their lives within society.
Keeping the Dead Alive
Summary:
- After the loss of a person there is crying for a month or so.
- A set of exchanges takes place after a day of the burial which includes yams, taro, and small amounts
of money
- The matrilineal kin of each spouse present men’s valuables.
- If the owners think the payment is not large enough they assume the spouse’s kin had something to do
with the killing.
- Before the mourning Uwelasi’s presence continues to pervade the village in a material way.
- The spouse and the father are the 2 people that are key in a person’s life and they remain secluded.
The dead person’s father’s sister “carries” the symbols of the dead person’s social and political
accomplishments.
- Death is observed with stringent taboos and with vast amounts of wealth, is a serious and timeconsuming attempt to make some part of the dead person survives for the living.
Themes:
Economic Organization:
In this part of the chapter economic organization is an important because of the fact that the exchanges
take place is a big deal. The Exchanges make sure that the dead person’s spouse cannot get everything
for himself/herself thus benefitting the economy.
Concepts:
Matrilineal
Reciprocity
Specifically Balanced Reciprocity
Terik, Anderson, Nabhey