Kula Exchange – Concise Exam Notes

Overview

• Kula: inter‐island circulating exchange system across Eastern New Guinea (Massim area) covering Trobriand, Amphletts, d’Entrecasteaux, Woodlark, Louisiades, etc.
• Core feature: perpetual movement of two non-utilitarian valuables.

Valuables

• Armshells (mwali) made from Conus\ millepunctatus
  • Move counter-clockwise (southward from Trobriands).
• Necklaces (soulava) of red Spondylus shell discs
  • Move clockwise (northward).
• High prestige; rarely worn; worth up to £20 (≈ large quantities of yams/pigs).

Exchange Rules

• Trade only between lifelong partners (karayta’u).
• Gifts follow set categories:
  • vaga (opening gift) → yotile/kudu (equivalent return).
  • basi (interim repayment) if full item unavailable.
  • pokala, kaributu (solicitory offerings) bid for famous pieces.
• Items never reverse direction and seldom stay > 1–2 years with an owner.
• Liberality admired; hoarding condemned.

Social Structure

• Kula community = one or several villages sharing canoes, leaders, magic, expedition schedule.
• Not all villagers participate; chiefs have \approx 100 partners; commoners far fewer.
• Partnerships entail mutual hospitality, protection, trade in utilities.

Magic & Belief

• Three main magical systems:
  1. Canoe magic (speed, stability, safety).
  2. Sailing protection (weather, reefs, witches, live stones).
  3. Mwasila (Kula magic): charms to soften partner’s mind.
• Myths recount ancestral voyages; each famous shell has name & history.

Expedition Phases (Sinaketa → Dobu archetype)

1. Canoe construction/overhaul (≈ 6 months) with communal labour & spells.
2. Launch ceremonies; preliminary inland/north trip for minor trade & shells.
3. Pre-departure taboos (sexual abstinence, mint-oil rite on prow).
4. Voyage south: staging at sandbank, Amphletts, Tewara, Sanaroa; continuous minor exchange & rites.
5. Final stop at Sawmboina; body-beautifying magic; conch spells “shake the mountain.”
6. Arrival Dobu: hosts greet with soulava; housing, food; main Kula gifts & subsidiary barter (rattan, obsidian, cassowary feathers, etc.).
7. Return: collect Spondylus shell, Amphlett pots; receive talo’i (farewell gifts).
8. Cycle repeats when Dobuans visit Sinaketa next season.

Economic & Cultural Significance

• Generates extensive intertribal linkage and periodic mass movement of >1000 valuables per expedition.
• Encourages specialised production (pottery, canoe-building) and balances food/resources between fertile & marginal islands.
• Demonstrates distinct ownership model: temporary custody for prestige, not utilitarian possession.
• Illustrates complex integration of economy, social obligation, magic, and myth in Massim societies.