Narrator: The Baruya, a group of 2,500 people, live in the tropical rainforest and savannah in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Waiveu is one of the Baruya villages. Maurice Godelier is a French anthropologist who has been living in Waiveu and studying the Baruya people for the past two years. Maurice's primary source of information on Baruya culture is a network of Baruya friends. Gwataie is a regular informant and a close friend. Gwataie speaks both Baruya and Pidgin English and works as Maurice's interpreter with all Baruya who do not speak Pidgin English. Tultul is one of Maurice's occasional informants. Tultul is also a government-appointed tribal representative. Warineu, a respected elder, gave Maurice a piece of land in the village on which to build a house. Kandavatché, another respected elder, has told Maurice a great deal about traditional Baruya society.

Godelier/vo: When we work together, the Baruya become the teachers. They can see and control my work. They know I am going to ask them a lot of silly questions, but from the questions I ask, things develop.

Title card: On March 3, 1969, Maurice invited Gwataie, Tultul, and Kandavatché to his house to discuss Baruya kinship rules and terminology, as he had done on many previous occasions.

Title card: Maurice also invited Djirinac, an elderly woman with a detailed knowledge of Baruya names, genealogies, and rules of marriage.

HER NAME CAME ON ARROWS:
A Kinship Interview with the Baruya of New Guinea

A FILM BY

ALLISON AND MAREK JABLONKO
AND
STEPHEN OLSSON

 

 

    .........MG: Pull the bench over a little.
      .........Now, Papa (Warineu), you can come. Djirinac can come second.
      .........Come over closer, Papa.

    .........GW: COME OVER AND SIT DOWN!
      .........HEY! WHAT'S WRONG?

    .........MG: Would you like to change the seating?
      .........Ahh! This is very interesting!
      .........She cannot step over your microphone cable.

.........Title card: (It is taboo for Baruya women ...
.............................to step over men's property.)

      MG: Shall we change this seating arrangement...
        or can everyone sit down the way we are?
        Papa, you can come closer.

      GW: O.K. THAT'S FINE.

    Title card: (Warineu and Djirinac are in-laws and cannot sit
    ....................too close to each other.)

      MG: All right. Now you (Baruya onlookers) go outside.
        It's time to work.
        You can't keep coming in and going out.
        We'll be working for the next two hours.
        We'll start just like we did...
        ... at the very beginning of my work...
        and do it now to make the film.

      GW: (Baruya translation)
        All right. This isn't hard work.
        Now we'll begin, just like when...
        ... I was new here, starting the work.
        Let's have a smoke now.
        Papa, what were you doing in Kamuac today?

      WA: WORKING IN THE PULPUL GARDEN.
        THERE WAS A BIG RAINSTORM.
        THE TERRACING WAS ALL DAMAGED.

      MG: We'll start with Djirinac now.
        Does she want to smoke?

      GW: DJIRINAC, IF YOU WANT YOU CAN SMOKE.

      MG: What was the name of your mother's clan?

      DJ: MY MOTHER'S CLAN? YUARAMBAKIA.

      MG: Were the Europeans already here...
        ... when she died, or not?

      DJ: NO, THEY HADN'T COME YET.

      MG: Had the first patrol come through yet?

      DJ: NO. IT HADN'T COME THROUGH YET.
        SHE DIED, AND THEN THE PATROL CAME.

      MG: She died of sickness?

      DJ: YES. OF SICKNESS.

      MG: Did she die in Wiaveu or in Yani?

      ALL: HERE, IN WIAVEU.

      MG: Right here? By my house?

      DJ: YES, THAT'S RIGHT.

      MG: Now, you know your father's mother...
        ... she was a Baruya...
        ... but I heard everyone calling her Djavennye.
        Why do you call a person from one tribe...
        ...by the name of another tribe?
        What is the story behind that?

      GW: HE WANTS TO KNOW WHY THE NAMES OF ONE TRIBE...
        ... ARE SOMETIMES USED BY ANOTHER TRIBE.

      MG: Eh? I don't quite understand yet.

      DJ: TRIBES SOMETIMES STEAL NAMES FROM
        OTHER TRIBES.
        HER NAME CAME ON ARROWS.

      MG: What?

      DJ: IT CAME ON ARROWS.

      GW: IT HAD TO DO WITH A FIGHT WITH THE
        IMANI TRIBE.

      MG: Were the Imani people killed...
        ...by Djirinac's grandfather's clan?

      GW: YES, AND IN THAT FIGHT...
        ...THE BARUYA STOLE THE GIRL.

      MG: Stole? Oh, now I understand.
        This little girl lived in lmani...
        She was stolen by the Baruya...
        A Baruya man fed her and she grew up.
        Then he gave her to...
        ...Djirinac's grandfather as a wife.

      ALL: THAT'S RIGHT.

      MG: So Djavennye grew up with the Baruya...
        ... and took a Baruya name,
        but people still call her by her old name: Djavennye.

      WA: YOU'VE GOT IT, MAURICE.

      GW: MAURICE, THAT WAS THE STORY OF...
        ... DJIRINAC'S GRANDMOTHER,
        AND WHEN SHE HAD A CHILD,
        SHE NICKNAMED IT DJAVENNYE.

      MG: All right, now, the girl was stolen...
        ... her family was killed,
        she gave up her old name, took a Baruya name
        ...and was adopted as a Baruya.
        And where did your grandfather live?

      DJ: KWARANDARIA

      MG: Was he a shaman?

      GW: A SHAMAN? NO.

      MG: Was he a warrior? Or what?

      DJ: NO.

      MG: So, he wasn't strong.

      GW: NO. JUST AN ORDINARY MAN.

      MG: And where did your father live?

      DJ: KWARANDARIA.

      MG: And when he died, had the Tchavalje clan...
        ... already burned down Marawaka or not?

      DJ: YES. HE SAW MARAWAKA BURN BEFORE
        HE DIED.

      MG: Did he die here, or in Marawaka?

      DJ: NO, HERE IN YANI.

      MG: Now, among the Baruya, men often give
        ... a sister to receive a wife.

      DJ: THAT'S CALLED "GINAMARA".

      MG: One girl goes and the other comes.
        Both men exchange sisters.

      KA: THE WOMEN MARRY INTO THE MEN'S CLAN.

      MG: Now, I'd like to ask you
        ... suppose I don't have a sister...
        what would you do then?

      KA: THEN YOU WOULDN'T GIVE ANYTHING.

      GW: BUT LATER WHEN YOUR CHILDREN GROW UP...
        ... YOU WOULD GIVE A DAUGHTER BACK..
        ... TO THE MAN WHO HAD GIVEN HIS SISTER TO YOU.

      MG: So, I give you my sister...
        ... and since you don't have a sister...
        ... you will give your daughter back to me.

      GW: YES. SHE'S THE ONE WHO WOULD COME
        BACK TO YOU.

      MG: In Baruya, what do you call this custom?

      GW: SO WHEN YOUR SON GROWS UP...
        AND HIS DAUGHTER GROWS UP.

      MG: My son will get your daughter as a wife.

      KA: IF I NEED A WIFE AND I DON'T HAVE A SISTER,
        MY FATHER GETS ME A WIFE FORM ANOTHER CLAN,
        AND WHEN I HAVE A DAUGHTER
        I GIVE THE DAUGHTER BACK.

      MG: So, in Baruya, direct sister exchange...
        is called "Ginamara".
        But giving your daughter back..
        What do you call that?

      DJ: "GINAMARA" IS ONLY FOR WHEN YOU
        EXCHANGE DIRECTLY.
        IN OUR LANGUAGE THERE'S NO ONE WORD FOR...
        ... GIVING A DAUGHTER BACK

      MG: So in Baruya you just say "Koulameunjiniaveu"?

      GW: THAT MEANS SHE IS MARRIED BACK...
        INTO THE CLAN HER MOTHER HAD COME FROM.

      MG: So in Baruya, there is no single word...
        you just say: "The daughter goes back...
        ... to her mother's clan,
        to her mother's birthplace".

      GW: YES, THAT'S RIGHT.

      MG: All right. Now we'll start something else.
        Sometimes there's another way for people to marry.
        Sometimes a man likes a woman very much.
        Now, I like this woman very much,
        so I just take her.
        And then her father comes
        and gives me a hard beating.
        Now, tell me the story of this custom.

      KA: IF OUR MAN TAKES A WOMAN, HER CLAN COMES...
        ... AND BEATS HIM, UNTIL HE BLEEDS.
        SINCE HE WANTS HER, WE DON'T DEFEND HIM.
        IF HER CLAN DOESN'T BEAT HIM, HE CAN'T KEEP HER...
        BECAUSE HE DIDN'T PAY FOR HER WITH HIS BLOOD.
        ONLY THEN CAN HE MARRY HER.
        THAT'S OUR CUSTOM OF STEALING WIVES...

      GW: AND THEN WE SAY:
        "IT'S A CASE OF GIVING FOOD FOR BLOOD."

      MG: What's this story about food and blood?

      GW: COOKING AND GIVING SWEET POTATOES
        ... TO THE MAN WHO IS WOUNDED AND BLEEDING.

      MG: You mean, everybody hit him?

      GW: YES.

      MG: Hey! You can't really hit me!
        If you hit me, I'll kill you. True?
        So does all her clan give food...
        ... to the wounded man, or only the woman?

      GW: ONLY THE WOMAN. HER FATHER TELLS HER:
        "I BEAT HIM AND HE BLED, SO NOW YOU CAN GIVE HIM FOOD."

      MG: So is there a name in Baruya...
        ... for stealing a women?

      ALL: "TSIKA ITAMATNA"

      MG: Just like Dedaiyuwe who stole a woman...
        ... from the Etse clan.
        But now suppose the woman...
        really doesn't like the man who takes her?
        What happens then?
        Of course, if the woman likes him...
        ... she'll feed him, and that's the end of it.
        But suppose the woman doesn't like this man.
        She is angry that he stole her. What then?

      GW: IF THE WOMAN DOESN'T WANT THE MAN...
        SHE CAN COME BACK HOME.

      DJ: IF SHE DOESN'T WANT TO MARRY HIM AT ALL...
        SHE CAN STAY WITH HER MOTHER AND FATHER.

      MG: Now look (Warineu), your sister has a son,
        Kwambiarukwe. Is that right?
        And Waramangac's father... what's his name?

      WA: AMONDJE.

      MG: Waramangac's father's name is Amonje?

      DJ: NO! IT'S GUVARANDAIYUWE.

      MG: So here's Amondje. He's from the Delye clan...
        ... and Guvarandaiyuwe is also a Delye.
        They are clan brothers.
        Guvarandaiyuwe has a daughter...
        Amondje has a son...
        and they marry each other.
        Did the ancestors think this was...
        a proper marriage, or not?

      ALL: NO! THAT'S ONLY DONE NOW...
        SINCE THE WHITE PEOPLE CAME.

      GW: THEY ARE JUST IMITATING THE WHITE
        PEOPLE.

      MG: But did your ancestors allow men and women...
        . . . from the same clan to marry each other?

      GW: NO. BEFORE, OUR ANCESTORS DIDN'T MARRY
        ... WITHIN THEIR OWN CLAN. THEY WERE FORBIDDEN.

      MG: So a clan always gave its daughters to other clans?
        What about marrying inside the clan?

      DJ: NO! THAT'S JUST LIKE A DOG!

      GW: BUT NOW THE CUSTOMS HAVE CHANGED...
        ... SINCE THE WHITE PEOPLE HAVE COME.

      MG: So now that the white people are here...
        ... the women go and mate anywhere.
        But before they didn't?

      DJ: NO, BEFORE THEY DIDN'T DO THAT.

      KA: BEFORE, THE ANCESTORS DIDN'T MARRY...
        ..WITHIN THEIR OWN CLAN.
        WHEN THE DAUGHTER GREW UP.
        ... SHE WOULD GO BACK TO HER MOTHER'S CLAN.

      GW: THAT'S HOW IT WAS BEFORE.
        THAT WAS THE LAW OF THE ANCESTORS.

      MG: But a clan brother and sister marrying?

      GW: NO, THAT'S ONLY RECENTLY.

      MG: Did the ancestors have a law about that?
        Did they break up the marriage and say:
        "You go back to your father...
        ... and you go back to your father!"
        Or could the marriage continue?
        Suppose the two didn't listen to their fathers...
        ... would the brothers or fathers come and say:
        "You come.... you two can't mate"?

      GW: YES, THAT'S HOW IT WAS.

      MG: Now look Gwataie.
        What do you call...
        ... Bakwaniac's son?

    Title card: (his father's sister's son)

      GW: "APYE".

      MG: No, isn't he your "migwe"?

      GW: THAT'S RIGHT. HE'S MY "MIGWE".

      MG: So the child of your father's sister...

      DJ: HEY, GWATAIE, YOUR "NOKAI" IS NOT
        YOUR "MIGWE".

      MG: So, is he called "migwe" or "nokai?

      GW: YES, "NOKAI-MIGWE".

      DJ: HEY, GWATAIE! YOU'RE A BIT STUPID...
        YOU SHOULD CALL HIM "MIGWE"!

      MG: And the daughter of your father's sister,
        your "watchak",
        can you marry her?
        Can a man marry...
        ... the daughter of his father's sister?

      GW: YES, THEY CAN MARRY.
        YES. IT'S JUST UP TO THEM.
        THERE'S NO TABOO ON THAT KIND OF MARRIAGE.

      MG: What's your mother's brother's name?

      GW: TCHAVEULDJE.

      MG: Now, if he has a daughter
        ... can you marry her if you like?
        What was the custom of the ancestors?
        Your mother's brother, Tchavaldje.

      B : TCHA-VEUL-DJE.

      MG: Now, Tchaveuldje had a daughter.
        So can you marry her or not?
        Tell me what the ancestors would have done.
        No, tell me about Gwataie's family.
        Or was it taboo?

      DJ: YES. HE COULD MARRY HER.

      MG: So, it wasn't taboo.
        Some people have told me that I can marry...
        ...the daughter of my father's sister...
        ... but not the daughter of my mother's brother.
        Is that true?
        Looking at my father's side...
        I can marry his sister's daughter...
        she's my "niki".
        Now, looking at my mother's side...
        ... I can't marry her brother's daughter.
        Some people have said that you can't take...
        ... a second woman from your mother's clan:
        My father took my mother, so now...
        I can't marry a woman from that same clan.

      KA: YOU CAN MARRY A WOMAN FROM YOUR
        MOTHER'S CLAN...
        BUT NOT YOUR OWN COUSIN.

      MG: Now, we'll start on something else.
        Here, look at this map.
        Here's the Andavakia clan men's house...
        Here is Gwadamaiyuwe's house...
        Biandaye Tultul's two houses...
        Wanye, and all the men of that clan.
        Look, here is an Andavakia house...
        Here is another one.
        This is Yuanna's house,
        and here are the houses of all the other clans.
        This is the map I've been working on.
        Is it a good one?

      B : YES, IT'S VERY GOOD. MAURICE!

      TT: MAURICE! IF ALL OF THE MEN OF A CLAN
        LIVE TOGETHER...
        MANY FIGHTS WILL BREAK OUT.
        SO TRADITIONALLY WE MIXED UP THE CLANS...
        ..AND DIDN'T LET BROTHERS LIVE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER.
        THIS REDUCED THE FIGHTING.

      MG: Oh!! This is superb!!
        So before, the village wasn't like this at all...
        Before, people used to live scattered around...
        ... as it pleased them, no?
        Now, what has happened to change this?

      KA: THE GOVERNMENT ... WHEN THE WHITE
        PEOPLE CAME
        ... THEY TOLD US ALL TO GATHER TOGETHER IN ONE VILLAGE.

      MG: That was easy work.
        Now let's go into the other room...
        ... and eat lunch together.


Camera
Marek Jablonko


Sound
Allison Jablonko


Baruya Translators
Koumaineu Nunguye
Yavine Borima

 

Editor
Stephen Olsson

 

Produced by
Allison Jablonko
Marek Jablonko
Stephen Olsson


Special thanks to:
OUR BARUYA FRIENDS

and to

Maurice Godelier
for making this film possible
by generously sharing
with us his field location
and his insights into Baruya society.



Copyright 1982 Allison and Marek Jablonko