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Chapter 2 Review

The Maisin rely on their surroundings to satisfy their basic needs (Barker 2008:45). Most

of their time is spent on acquiring food (Barker 2008:45). Work is organized based on gender as

men generally take on jobs that require bursts of heavy work whereas women work on tasks that

require more of a sustained effort (Barker 2008:46). Swidden horticulture is the primary means

of obtaining food as most food come from their gardens (Barker 2008:48). Gardens serve way

more than just to produce food, they are also spiritual centers where the Maisin develop and

connect to their ancestors (Barker 2008:51). The gardens additionally serve as the centers of

economy and politics (Barker 2008:52). Reciprocity is the most basic and important rule of

Maisin life, generating the moral foundation of economic and social order (Barker 2008:60).

Social distance dictates the type of reciprocity carried out (Barker 2008:59). The closer the social

distance between the two parties the more casual the exchange is, as social distance enlarges,

exchanges become more calculated and formal (Barker 2008:59). There has been an increasing

dependence on money since its introduction and has caused complex effects on the Maisin

(Barker 2008:61). In theory, there is a conflict between the traditional economic system based on

the exchange of goods and labor and the new system in which money buys both as commodities

(Barker 2008:66). However, for now the Maisin have used money to subsidize the lasting

existence of the subsistence economy based on kin and exchange relations where reciprocity

remains as the guiding principle (Barker 2008:68).

The convention in anthropology is to divide the many societies into 4 distinct types:

Bands, Tribes, Chiefdoms and States (Hedican 2012:176). The Maisin fall in to the category of

Tribes. Tribes are involved in food production, a form of subsistence technology in which food is

obtained from the cultivation and domestication of plants and animals (Hedican 2012:182). The

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Maisin fit in the description of tribes because they largely depend on food production from their

gardens (Barker 2008:48). The two main economic activities found to be carried out by tribes are

horticulture and pastoralism (Hedican 2012:182). Horticulture is the periodic plant cultivation

carried out with simple tools and techniques in new lands as old lands lose their fertility

(Hedican 2012:182). Since the Maisin get most of their food from the cultivation of plants and

only a few households have domesticated pigs, their main economic activity would be

horticulture as confirmed in Barker’s book (Barker 2008:46-48).

After I have read how the Maisin make a living, I wonder if their growing dependence on

money and western commodities will eventually lead to the demise of reciprocity as their most

basic rule. At the time of Barker’s field study, the Maisin have appeared to find a way to

integrate the western elements into their system where reciprocity remains the basis of the

economic and moral system (Barker 2008:69). Yet, changes in the way the Maisin society can

already be observed (Barker 2008:69). There is an increasing income gap in the community

(Barker 2008:67). People are now more accepting towards the growing difference in wealth

(Barker 2008:68). Since in reciprocal economies the accumulation of wealth is difficult, this may

be a potential indicator of a decrease in the influence of reciprocity (Barker 2008:66). Exchanges

now are also less frequent and intense as in the 1980s (Barker 2008:69). Many people who earn

money store their funds in a savings account and this can disrupt the obligation of returning a gift

as wealth can be accumulated out of sight (Barker 2008:66). Due to the above, my view is that

reciprocity will remain an important principle of the Maisin but its influence will inevitably

decline.

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Works Cited

Barker, John

2008. Ancestral Lines: The Maisin of Papua New Guinea and the Fate of the Rainforest.

Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Hedican, Edward J

2012. Social Anthropology: Canadian Perspectives on Culture and Society. Toronto: Canadian

Scholars' Press Inc.