What does Moka refer to?
What does Moka refer to?
Moka are reciprocal gifts of pigs through which social status is achieved. Moka refers specifically to the increment in the size of the gift; giving more brings greater prestige to the giver.
Why is the Moka delayed?
His speech-making skills throughout the film show how important it is to persuade people to work together. By the time the filmmakers were to leave New Guinea, Ongka’s big moka was postponed due to the accused sorcery to kill another tribe’s Big Man.
Where do Ongka’s pigs live?
Papua New Guinea
Ongka is a charismatic big-man of the Kawelka tribe who live scattered in the Western highlands, north of Mount Hagen, in Papua New Guinea. The film focuses on the motivations and efforts involved in organising a big ceremonial gift-exchange or moka planned to take place sometime in 1974.
How is moka a form of reciprocity?
Moka are reciprocal gifts of pigs through which social status is achieved. Moka refers specifically to the increment in the size of the gift. This is a form of competitive reciprocity.
What is the political organization of the Kawelka?
The Kawelka have a tribe political system. There is a “big man” who has status in the tribe, but he does not have any authority to order people around; he can only persuade.
What do the ethnographer’s writing style married status and ethnic identity have in common for the reflexive question?
What do the ethnographer’s writing style, married status, and ethnic identity have in common for the reflexive question? They influence how the ethnographer understands culture.
What is the significance of The Kawelka Moka?
Kawelka tribe accepts the moka as a structure of maintenance of their society in much wider scope. Therefore, moka exchange is one of the perfect examples of Durkheim’s total social fact and proves to work just as well as the other societies that exist today.
What is the biggest Moka ever given to a tribe?
However, later Ongka managed to accomplish his moka with 600 pigs, 12 cassowaries, 8 cows, 10,000 Australian USD, a truck and a motorbike; the biggest moka ever given (Ongka’s Big Moka). Moka exchange takes place only when a particular tribe decides to give extra of what it has received from another tribe.
How did Ongka’s tribe engage in Moka?
We killed them with spears and axes. Their people were angry, so we gave them pigs to make them feel better” (Ongka’s Big Moka). Therefore, I think that in the case of Ongka’s tribe, they have traditionally been engaged in moka to avoid conflicts and fights with other tribes.
