Kaluli

Kaluli Longhouse Culture in Papua New Guinea

Location • Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea • Mainly tropical rainforest • Great Papuan Plateau • The name Bosavi comes from the nearby Mount Bosavi • Collapsed cone of an extinct volcano • The Kaluli (and related groups) live on the high ground north of the mountain

Early History and Contact • Only about 1200-2k Bosavi total • Much fewer Kaluli • Extensive trade networks with neighboring groups • Persists even today • Relatively late contact in relation to many of the other groups we’ve studied • 1930s • The outbreak of WWII and the diseases and violence that came with it decimated the population • Disease is still a problem for almost all of the indigenous people in Papua New Guinea

Organization • Villages • The longhouse is the core of village life • Typically 30ft by 60ft • Porches at each end • Raised construction on pillars ranging from 5-12 ft high • Defensive construction to warn of intruders • Inside: • Divided in half by a long corridor with rooms coming off of each side • The men sleep on raised platforms along the walls • Women, the elderly, and children sleep along the walls of the corridors • Specific areas are designated for each group

Organization • Longhouses are associated with the land they are constructed upon rather than with the inhabitants • The name of the land a people live on is extremely important • Used to identify themselves in many different contexts • Both in peaceful communication as well as during warfare • The core of the villages are composed of men that are related to several clans based upon patrilineal descent • However, matrilineal ties between villages are also used to maintain good relations between villages

Organization • Very egalitarian society • Exchange of possessions or anything else is not used to enhance ones prestige at all • The most important type of exchange practiced is marriage • Men and women have very clearly defined roles • At the same time they are very cooperative as well • Extremely stable system with very little to no hostility between the sexes

Organization • Women • Gardening • Care for pigs • Limited hunting of smaller animals • Sago processing • Child care

Organization • Men • Typically operate in groups • Clearing land for various purposes • Construction of longhouses or other buildings • Initial planting of crops

Organization • Kaluli individuals, while formally practicing a system of patrilineal descent, also claim membership in both their mother and fathers clans • Siblings and cousins are the most important familial relationships among the Kaluli

Organization • Marriage • Exogamy is the typical type of marriage practiced by the Kaluli • Only marriage to an individual from another clan with very little chance of being related • Grooms (and brides) are typically unaware of the marriage plans that are being made by their elder relatives • A bride-wealth is paid and when everything is finalized the groom is ‘surprised’ by his friends with the marriage

Organization • Marriage • Exchange between the two families is a life-long affair that begins with the bride-wealth • Sometimes a sister from the grooms family will be given to the brides family as compensation • Called ‘Sister Exchange’ and is quite uncommon

Organization • Children • The proper teaching of children is an essential part of Kaluli society • The traditional gender roles, and the tasks associated with each, are the first to be passed on • Mothers will treat girls and boys differently since they are the ones responsible for a child's upbringing

Organization • Boys • Strength and aggression is emphasized • Assertive activities • Taught to be very demanding • Must never give up • Proper forms of begging and whining are also taught to accomplish these goals

Organization • Girls • Not allowed to be considered helpless for very long • Assigned chores as soon as possible • Unlike boys • Service to others (men) is the primary goal • Maternal skills are also very important • Will assist in taking care of a younger sibling at a very young age

Organization • The Hardening of Children • The learning of the importance of reciprocity and exchange is very important for children • Must be able to give and receive, and use the proper language while doing so, at a young age • Hard behavior and language is referring to adult ways of doing things, rather than the easier and more forgivable ‘soft’ and childlike norms • Hard and Soft are descriptive motifs that are present in almost all aspects of Kaluli culture

Subsistence • Excellent trackers and masters of identifying changes in their environment • Very important in a dense rainforest environment • Have to know what type of animal (or person) you are tracking • Changes in the environment are used as a way of marking time as well

Subsistence • Swidden horticulture is the primary mode of subsistence • Provides for a widely varied diet • Constantly trying to improve the quality and resistance of their crops

Subsistence • Staple crop is sago starch • From wild sago palms • Other crops include: • Bananas, Breadfruit, Pandanus, Sugarcane, Green Vegetables, Sweet Potatoes • Animals: • Small animals of all types are collected opportunistically during the course of the day • Fish or small game animals are bountiful and are regularly hunted • Pigs are also kept, but in very small numbers

Trade • Trade occurs between individuals both within the community and in other more distant villages • Reinforces bonds • Specific trade items are used for specific groups of people • Important for traveling because it ensured that you had a friendly place to stay along the way

Supernatural • The dense forest plays a large part in Kaluli supernatural belief • Unseen sounds from various sources (birds, animals, insects, etc) carry a great deal of meaning • Different meanings are assigned to different sounds • Particularly bird calls that may resemble other, potentially human, noises

Supernatural • Every individual has his or her own shadow that roams the forest • Men are wild pigs • Women are cassowaries • Spirits of both the dead and unborn are present in the forest as well • Not malevolent at all and wish nothing bad on the Kaluli • But there is also a supernatural force or spirit that does wish ill will upon people • Can be stopped by the proper preventive measures • Associated with certain tracts of land

Supernatural • Mediums (people who have access to the supernatural world) are selected when a man marries a supernatural woman in his sleep and has a child with her • When the mans spirit leaves his body other spirits can enter it and use it to communicate • This is used for the Kaluli to communicate with dead relatives and check in on their status

Supernatural • Witches are individuals who may have an evil spirit residing within them • Typically only wish ill will on strangers • But will harm family members at times • Are used to explain illnesses or injuries that are invisible

Ceremony • Gisaro • Celebration that involves neighboring longhouses • Typically associated with marriages or large and impressive gifts of meat • Pig feasts • Dancing and singing takes place throughout the night • Most important ceremonial event in Kaluli culture • Elaborate costumes are also used

Modern Problems • Missionary activity dramatically changed the traditional Kaluli way of life • Changed the way the Kaluli see and explain the world • The adoption of European systems of time and space are very different from those of the Kaluli • Speech is more important than ritual activity • Opposite in traditional Kaluli culture • However, aside from these missionary contacts, many groups remain fairly autonomous and enjoy a bountiful natural environment that is relatively free from government intervention

Kaluli

Kaluli

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Kaluli