What Is The Kula Trade
What Is The Kula Trade
What Is The Kula Trade
Malinowski was the pioneer of participant observation, which is now perceived as a key part
of ethnographic research: “The Ethnographer’s final goal…is to group the native’s point of
view, his relation to life, to realise his vision of his world” (Malinowski 1922). The breakout
of World War 1 during his visit to the Trobriand Islands meant that Malinowski was not
allowed to travel back to the U.K. and therefore had to remain in residence among Trobriand
islanders: it was here where he “discovered the advantages of intensive research” (Wax
1972). He recognised that in order to conduct successful fieldwork and understand the point
of view of the ‘natives’ it was important to ‘observe them by interacting with them intimately
over an extended period’ (J. Monaghan and P. Just 2000). He did this by living his time on
the islands in a “tent [pitched] among the natives” in order to immerse himself in the
everyday life of the locals living on the island. This hands on research and presence in the
field was revolutionary for anthropology as, prior to Malinowski’s approach, “fieldwork in
the 19th century was inhibited by the ideology and politics of the time…ideologically, the
doctrine of social evolutionism predominated” (Wax 1972).
Malinowski interprets the importance and symbolism of the use of soulava and mwali articles
separately from that of the Kula ring as a whole. He suggests that the significance of the
vaygu’a (valuables) comes from the “historic sentimentalism” behind them. The value of the
articles comes not from the superficial worth of the items, but rather the number of hands
through which it has passed. As the objects have been being passed around for such a long
period of time they have come into contact with countless people, some of which may pose
significant historic importance for the members of the island communities. It is this “mental
attitude” which makes the people of the Trobriand Islands value these vaygu’a.
However, Malinowski’s fieldwork can also be critiqued is various ways. One example of this
is his derogatory attitude towards the inhabitants of the Trobriand Islands. Throughout his
writing in Argonauts of the Western Pacific he continuously separates European and North-
American societies from those involved in the Kula trade. His use of ‘us’ and ‘them’
pronouns results in the Trobrianders sounding like something which is alien to readers of his
work. Along with the use of words such as ‘savage’, the islanders are degraded to appear as
lesser beings. As well as this, Malinowski makes the suggestion that the complex and
extensive institution formed by the Trobriand islanders cannot be understood fully by the
islanders themselves: “Not even the most intelligent native has any idea of the Kula as a big,
organised social construction”. He implies that the “savage” inhabitants of the islands do not
understand themselves and are there to be discovered and observed by a white, male
ethnographer.
A further strength of his ethnographic fieldwork and interpretation of his findings is that
examples of gift exchange similar to the Kula trade can be found elsewhere. Carol Stack
conducted ethnographic research into a lower-class afro-Caribbean community living in what
she refers to as “The Flats”. Stack suggests that the black families living here need support
from the community in order to fulfil daily needs, such as eating and clothing their families.
These families form alliances with one another through exchange, giving and the
reciprocation of this; they refer to this as “swapping”. They need the support of kin and
friends as the family’s ability to survive can be faltered by fluctuations in the flow of
available goods (Lombardi 1973). As a result of the swapping, the limited supplies and
resources held in The Flats are constantly being traded and redistributed between kin. This is
encouraged by the fact that failing to repay a kinsman or kinswoman will carry community
sanctions, such as the degradation of one’s reputation. This bears resemblance to the Kula
trade in that the goods involved are being constantly passed from one person to another in
order to fulfil functionalist requirements.
Bibliography
Firth, R. (1957) Man and Culture: An Evaluation of the Work of Bronislaw Malinowski.
Oceania, Volume 29 (3), pp. 218-226.
Malinowski, B. (1922) Argonauts of The Western Pacific. London: G Routledge & Sons.
Monoghan, J. and Just, P. (2000) Social and Cultural Anthropology: A Very Short
Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Spencer, H. (1876) The Principles of Sociology. New York: D. Appleton & Company.
Wax, M. (1972) Tenting with Malinowski. American Sociological Review, Volume 31 (1),
pp. 1-13.
Young, M. (2004). Malinowski: Odyssey of an Anthropologist. New Haven: Yale University
Press.
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