leopold pospisil - the kapauku papuans of west new guinea
DESCRIPTION
Chapter 3 from the book.TRANSCRIPT
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5/21/2018 Leopold Pospisil - The Kapauku Papuans of West New Guinea
Pospil,L.1963:TheKapauku PapuansofwestNewGuinea.New
York:Holt,Rinehart&Winston.
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5/21/2018 Leopold Pospisil - The Kapauku Papuans of West New Guinea
OCt
A I. 0 R G
ANI
Z
\
T
tON
. 45
tukebo. (or eXlmple. there exi toni), one uch c:l e, Two
J.dult sin, le
men.
h.1\
ing no
~ J . r d e n ~
of their own. help their
brOlher
Kamut.,s.lJokJibo. to till
hi
bnd.
ln hcad
of a g:trdening unit is
the
owner of the g.udcns cultl\'.ucd by
thlt group. He determines the
i ~
for new plot ; dears Ihem (somehmcs with
help of others) of tree and bru h:
fences
them; and drains
them
by a proper
) tern
of d l t c h ~ s . l i
selects the proper crops to
be pl
:lOted. and ~
to it
tlul
the)"
ate well
c.1Ced
for and h3c\'cs
ted
on time. For the help rendered
by
hi' de
pendent he o ~ e s no p3)ment. In tead of a monetary reimbur ement the memo
bers of hiS gardening unit
have
:l rasht
to
harvest
ccops
for their own consump
tion. If. however, :lOy of the dependents (especially
:1dolescent
son
;lnd lp
I rentices of the g.uden owner) conclude
:l
special labor contract with the
he.ld of their
,l:Jrciening
unit,
by
which
they
pledge to
m:lke
a garden
by
them
se they hl\e to be paid in the same way as an)' other hired laborer.
POLITI III. GROUP
The Kapluku
inventoC)
of segment of societal
structure includes federation o( localized lineages and politicli (actions.
Be
CJ.use
both o(
these types
of groupings define their member hip and (unctions
exc1usl\elr :llong political and
legal
lines
they
can
be
called political groups.
Two or more localized Kapauku lineages. that
may
belong to different sibs,
unite themselves for defense as well
as
offense into political confederacies.
Thei r membership.
which
m3)' ("ange from 400
to well O\er
a
1000
persons, reo
Sides
10 ; number of vill:tges, which in the
Kamu
Valley almost ne\'er exceed
9. I h3\c
chosen to
(all these political units confederacics because the indio
\ Idual, constituent. loc.lIized lincages
of
such
:I
group
have
I
kind of political
autonomy that allows them to remain neutral and abstatn f[om war waged by
the rest of the confederated lineages. In very exceptional
C:1SCS
I lineJ.ge mly
e\en
switch
it :llIi:tnce
10 :tnolher feder:ttion of lineages. However, since I
hJ.\'e not been :lble
to
find a single eX3mpie of such a shift, this idell appc.lfS to
be
purely
academic.
A Kapauku confederacy i the most inclusive politically organized
group. Within such a unit
I:lW
and order are administered by a hicrarchy of
nall\'e headmen; beyond this group
no
political organization e x i s t ~ . Intercon
fcder:ttional rebtion :tre characterized by what one
m Y c:llI
diplonllllc nego
tiations and, if these (:til,
by
wars. At
the head of cvery confedcr.tcy
s t . l n J ~
one
(in rare C3 es two or more) nati e hcadm:ln . uch an indi iduJI
J.S
a rule i
:tlso
the leader of the trongest constituent
IlOcage
of the con(c"er.lCY. It i> his
duty
to
sec 10
It
Ihat all dispute belwcen thc con IItutent line.lge arc :.
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6
o l I OR
N n ~ T I O N
held in order to .ICc Ilk \\ huher olle ~ h o u l d toler.lte an interconfcdel"ltion.lI in
jl"II: or r e ~ ( ) f t
10 li.t:hllllJ.:.
IInll.ul),. II I lhc)' who (.\fr) the h u ~ , l c n of d id
oj :
ul
on ( ( > ,
.
HIIlll of h llillic)
.11\(1
who
l I U ~ t
.ur. n,l:e clT(.'Cti .e
I'Cl
e negotia.
lIOn
.
.(
he K.lp.mkll mfornl.ll politi .11 le.l,kr hip depends prlmml)' on the
\\'e.lIlh of the < ..
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5/21/2018 Leopold Pospisil - The Kapauku Papuans of West New Guinea
3.Political Organization
Power R lation Betwe n Ind ividual
K
APAt:K
HAV,
0
l I I f ; r or
:In)'
other
pc of
leader hip. The)' form
the mo : democrltic societ}' that I know of,
in
which cver} m.ln i
. equll to C\'cr}'one el
e,
~ l i d a Europe3n who
hld
I cnt
~ e
er31 rear
in
the ' :lp. uku territor}' to me upon my leri\
al
to ew GUinea,
It
would lPpe.U
then that here W.1S one
o(
tho em)' terious societies
th:1t
.He cI.limeJ )' \'i/ t
rn
0
en
cr to
xi
t without
IClder:;
3nd, con
C
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5/21/2018 Leopold Pospisil - The Kapauku Papuans of West New Guinea
is .
P 1 1
'r
I
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5/21/2018 Leopold Pospisil - The Kapauku Papuans of West New Guinea
POLITICAL
ORCA
IZATIO . 49
p;tuku
pllce :\ high
YJlue on
wealth. from which ther deriye their grCltesl pres
tlse. Con cquentlr it
is not
surprising that economic
con
idcr.lllon constitute
the
most
effecti"e inuu cmenl
10
conformit).
and
thlt
cXlenion of credit
is
a
prima ry fletor of
social
control. Thus wealth is prerequIsite for JIIJining lnd
keepins poillt 11 leldership. People .lIisfy the wIshes
lnd
compl)' with the de
e-ision of.1 wealthy man. Ther do so
bec:luSC
they arc the mJn' d c b t o r ~ lnu Jre
.lfraid of being asked to repl)' thcir loans, or bee-lUst they cxpect orne fulure
nnancial aid, Or they :lre grateful for P:lst finanei31 f:J.\'ors. For the followcrs of
1 wCllth)' leader compliance with his rerallumkd
. nd
ther(-by
finally induced 10
cha
nge his \V3)'S. h the whole K
lp.1Uku
territor)'
:::enerall)', a man
who
acquires hi proper )' improperl)' through theft. borro\\'
ang WIthout
repayment, or embezzlement, or l
selfish
andi"du.ll
who
ho.ud,
mon )' and fads to be generou . ncvcr sees the time when
his word
i
t.lkell
senousl)' and
his
ad"ice and
deciSIons
followed. no mlllcr
how
each he
m.l)'
be
come
Under Ihe term "generoslt)'" the mone)minded
K.ll'.lUku
do not. of
( o u r ~ .
underst:lllu Ilift
gl\'an,l:. As
wc h.l\c ,cen, the InstItution of "f,ift prol'er"
doc .. no constitute p:lrt of the: n.\I;\'( t'{ollmnr. 11,(' ternl refe" r. ther tn (x
lellsi\'e money lending. often \\',Ihollt ChUJ.(1I1J , Ullefl'\l OnI)' ,"eh
.111
eXlcn,;'c
money
lentler
IlCCome\
J polatic.aI leader
.m.
" r('g.orded
.
.,
III
,hi)'
IIIm.11
IIhli
'hlUll Thus the C(onomi, in\lltulann of (Ce.11I pl lp .1
1'>.,,1 c u ~
their
10.\11\ thC)
. Me
1 l 1 0 ~ t
rehlCtJllt to
disdo>c the .\lIIOUllt of the,r .\\ , n ~ lnd
c.\
h. ~ o th.1t no onc will a k them for
.\
10.111
or (h.trJ.lc them with ,el(lshllc
s.
To
,\c(luire data
on
personal
lc (. h W.I\ one of the most dilli ullt.\,ks of
my
resc;\ (h. I uccecckd
ollly beC,IUS(: 1 1I\(lu,ret into the inclose
the information
10
other
I
,'Oplc nor
hl< hUll
for
.\
lo.ln . As a po lIi\ e indu cmcnt for compliance with
my
rcqu t
I n).l"e
it
l'< rfC(tl)' lIe.u tnJt I I,ked 3
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5/21/2018 Leopold Pospisil - The Kapauku Papuans of West New Guinea
P O L I T I C A L O R C A N I Z A T I O N
51
supporters.
cy can
alIV.tys be depended up n
in
W;lr
or
in
;l l e ~ . 1 1 Ull.
\'\'Ith
res
pect to
WJr,
the de.tth
o(
a wealthy
man
docs not release the dlbtor
from
his
obllg.ltion; unfortunately (or him, dd)ts :Ind credit lee IOheriteJ.
m e
one .11
mo
t
.l
lwlyS
h ~ s
person: 1
3nd,
lS
1
rule. cordill rdations with the lIun who
loaned the mone),. wherelS onc cannot depend upon the ~ e n c r o l t y of the heir.
the debtors
Me
'it.lll)' concerned
in
the life and wclfJrt
of
their
rich
creditor.
Thi becomes e'en more understandable \\ hen one r e . I I ~ c th .1t most f re
quently upon the death of l rich
mln
hi
heir:l k>
the debtors (or
Iml1lel.lI.lIe
repayment
of
their 10;lns.
Be ide the debtors :I wc,llthy man
h.l uualJr
e"erJI additionll reltiy
upporter
in hi
lpprentkc. whom he call / I I I jOi..wlII, "m) Ix, . The e
young indi,idull usullI)' come from poor familie Jnd join the rich nun
hou chold
in
ordcr to obtain (rom him l
(:ood
cduc.lhon
in
bu
incss
.ldmini,tr.l
tion
lnd
politics, to secure his protection, to
Ime
his (ood :lnd, finally. to
e
gr.,nted l
u ~ t : l n t i . l l 103n
for buying l wife.
For
these f:l\'ors,
in
tum, they of
fer their labor
in
the gMdens and
:lrOllnd
the hou
e,
their upport
in le .tI
.lnJ
political
lli
putes,
;lnd
their li\'es
in
c:le
of
war. TI1CSC
young
men (unCtlOIl
often
as bod)'l;u:lrds:
by
their ph)'
iCll p ~ e s e n c e 310ne
the)' elicit
respect
for the flch
man and induce other individual to respect his w i ~ h e .
It
would he
1
I1llstlke.
however, to reglrd these young men
as
some sort of
s e r ~ of
the l
rri .
The
contract
of
apprenticeship
is
quite loose and allows both p . l r t i ~ to termln.lIe
it
at In)' time. Thc 3pprentices are ne,'er treatcd:t inferior
by
the
rich
nun.
The)' h:\\'e Ihe right to e (ed, protected. and provided with shelter as
lon.c
a
the)' offer their benefactor their upport :tnd th eir (usually n
e)Cten
he) .thor.
ince l IOl o l l i
is
onl) mor:lll)' obliSlted to
hi
apprentice to want J 10.10 to\\ Jrd
the purchase
o{
:I wifc, either ide
is
free at any time to c\'er the contrlc u.11 re
btionship.
As
with every Kapauku individuli. the headman also lind imrort.,nt
support among his i l l i te
bagu
"the kin men." These indiYidwb
Me
Induced
to follow thclr
ri
ch rel3the
becau
e
of
an emotional bond;1
well .1S I>c .lUS('
of
.
network
of
duties, rights. and expect:ttions
o{
future rec.proc.lI f.lvor. It i
.11
wa)'s good for
:I
K
ap:lUku
to h:l\'e a headman
lS
a close rel.1li'e
1x.'C.lue
one C.IO
depend upon his help
in
economic, political, and kgal m.,lIer\. The oth"r julio\\'
er of
a
IOl lolvi
recognile him
as
:I Icader
lnd
accept
his
tll-tision, .IS
h i o , l i n
clther out
o(
gratitude (or
hIS
P:lst
generos.ty or
bccJUSC
the),
expl
(ulure
(a"or and
,'Conomic
ad":lOt:lge .
A K3plUku
1011011 1
functi nS.l a pohllcJ I le.lder In c O l l d u c t i n dil'l(lI1l.1t .
Ie
negotiation with rcprcscntatl\'c
of
outSide unit-. A
1l
w i ill
the role
01
.,
leader of a whole po .tic,,1 confeder.lC) decl
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2
POLITI At. O R C A N I Z
TIO .
Jucinlt
pec r. 11"1.",,111.,,, In
I
oone
o pon.o
r
of
fC3S15 in ponsoring com
munJI
. .IOce
expedition,
10
other \,lIages, and
10
inililllng brge
project,
such
J c t e n ~ i \
e tlr.lin.'ge ,tiuhe- ,lnd m.,in fences
or
bndgcs, the completion
of
,llIch
r C ~ J u i r e l
jOinl e/Torl
of
the whote communi
t}
Power tructure of the ociety
Kapluku ociet)'
i,
composed
of
many types
of
subgrou
ps of
different
in
lu
i\
ne . beh of
the ubgroups hlS its own leader who differs from tead
e
r, of
other ,b,:roups
ill
his personality, experience, amount
of
wealth and
power. Jnd
c.lnk. The
personal criteria
of
a headman define:l Kapauku individual
; 10110111.
Ihe poliliCll
lnd leg31 au
thori
ty.
However, the. e criteria
do
not desig.
n.lIe
hi
r.,nk in the hierarchy of headmen. A imple comparison of the amount of
wealth
of
two headmen certainly fails to indicate which is superior to the olher
by
hi command
of
a
brger
group. In order to determine the rank
of
a particular
10J/01I 1
one
mUSllU rn
10
the .ociet:l l structure :lnd its criteria (or the different type
of
lu:horitics.
her)
Kapaukll he.ldman h
lS
two statuses which correspond to the two
peelS of
sociJI organization a prescoted in the previous chapter. Whereas h is
~ i J St.lIUS:1
:I
headman i determined
by
the personal criteria just discussed,
his . ocial
~ t l t u s
in the hierarchy
of
the various types
of
headmen is defined
by
hi,
member hip
in
particular subgroups
of
the society and
by
the web
of
lheir mutual rebtions. The social tatus. furthermore, determines the headm3n's
amounl of power,
hb
scope of jurisdiction, and the Iype of law he
is
supposed
to admln'
tee.
Principles regulating the
oci:ll
tatus
of
:
1 11 111;
may
be sum
rn.u,zcd
:IS
follows. First, ever)' functioning subgroup of the
K:lp:1uko ~ i e t y
hlS
1
leader whose rank depends on Ihe inclusiveness of that ubgroup. The
hcadman
of
a confederacy is, consequent
ly
, superior to the headmen
of
the con
. tituting linc.lges. :lnd these,
in
turn, arc upcrior to the leaders
of
the compo
nent
~ u b l i n e , l g e s . ond,
holdin the po ition
of
headman of a more inclusive
group depend on . imult:u,cous possession
of
a headmanship
in
one
of
its con
,t,tuent subgroups.
Thu
s poli t
ical
statuses are cumulative. Accordingly. f
or
eX.lmple, a headman
of
a whole political confederacy, the mo t inch:si e politi.
{ll
group. occupics Iso position of
10JlOIIJ;
of one
of
the constituent lineages
Jnd ~ u b l i n e a g e s ,
and
is
the head
of
his household.
The
number of his followers.
the llllount
of
hi power, Ihe inlcosity
of
hi
s control. and the kind
of
I3w
he
hlS to ~ d m i n i s t e differ
10
e\'ery in$llnce.
Third
, 3 principle
of
the societ31
_tructure determines which of the headmen of groups of the same category
becomes the authority of the higher, morc inclus; e group. Accordingly. th31
1()1I01l 1 who
comes {rom Ihe most populous of
Ihose
ubgroups which together
form
l
.'lroup on the immcdiJldy higher level of inclo
iv
cness, assumes the head
mJnsh,p
of
this higher,
0\'er'311
group. This
may
be documented in the case
of
the IJlaj.Pigome confederacy, a politica l unil
of
the outhwcstcrn part of the
Klmu \alley.
There Ijaaj Cbjewlijok1ipougl, the leader of th:1I confederacy,
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POL J T J CAL 0 RCA N I Z AT
10
I
53
comes (rom its strongest constituent subgroup the IJll j Gcrouja hnl.l):e.
Within this group he is the heJdnlln
o(
its slrongest and mosl n u m ( ; r O l l ~
Ijaaj J:unainl sllblinelge. Because o( the third principle. liui A"'iltigJaj, thc
po"'er(ul and ambitious lcader
of
tJtC
Iju ; Enonl ublinc.-agc (which is another
component of thc
;33;
Gepou;a lincage) cannOt bc