Cultures
Trobriand Islanders
Peoples
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The Trobriand Islanders, or Boyowans, are the indigenous people of the Trobriand (Kiriwina) Islands off the eastern coast of Papua New Guinea, a matrilineal society whose gardening magic, mortuary ritual and inter-island kula exchange became one of the founding case studies of modern anthropology through Bronislaw Malinowski's fieldwork there from 1914 to 1918. Trobriand religious life centers on magic performed by specialists holding inherited spells, rather than on the worship of gods, and on belief in the spirits of the dead journeying to the nearby island of Tuma.
Facts
Origins
Origin RegionThe Trobriand (Kiriwina) Islands, a coral atoll group in Milne Bay Province off the eastern coast of Papua New Guinea. 1 Language FamilyKilivila, an Austronesian language of the Oceanic branch, spoken across the Trobriand Islands. 2 Traditions
Principal Religious TraditionsTrobriand traditional religion, centered on inherited magical spells held by named specialists, including the garden magic Malinowski documented, and on belief in the spirits of the dead traveling to the island of Tuma; not organized under any wider institution. 3 Practice
Practice StatusLiving, and practised in varied local forms 3 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
This source names Trobriand Islanders directly: "(1976), a 52-minute documentary on Trobriand Islanders' adaptation of cricket into kayasa, stating that each team brings its own umpire to affirm the outs while secretly performing war magic against..."
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