Bibliograph

The rope of moka, big-men and ceremonial exchange in Mount Hagen, New Guinea, Andrew Strathern

Type

Label

The rope of moka, big-men and ceremonial exchange in Mount Hagen, New Guinea, Andrew Strathern

Language

eng

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The rope of moka

Medium

electronic resource

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Oclc number

726825818

Responsibility statement

Andrew Strathern

Series statement

Cambridge studies in social and cultural anthropology, 4Cambridge Social Sciences eBooks

Sub title

big-men and ceremonial exchange in Mount Hagen, New Guinea

Summary

In the Mount Hagen area of central New Guinea, warfare has been replaced since the arrival of the Europeans by a vigorous development of moka, a competitive ceremonial exchange of wealth objects. The exchanges of pigs, shells and other valuables are interpreted as acting as a bond between groups, and as a means whereby individuals, notably the big-men, can maximize their status. Professor Strathern analyses the ways in which competition between big-men actually takes place, and the effects of this competition on the overall political system.--, Provided by publisher

Creator