Marind-anim
Encyclopedia
Marind-anim are a people living in South New Guinea
, south of the lower parts of river Digul, east of Yos Sudarso Island
, mainly west of Maro River
(a small area goes beyond Maro at its lower part, including Merauke
). Today the area inhabited by Marind-anim is contained by Papua province
of Indonesia
.
In the past, they were famed because of headhunting
. This was rooted in their belief system and linked to the name-giving of the newborn. The skull was believed to contain a mana
-like force. Headhunting was not motivated primarily by cannibalism
, but the already killed person's flesh was consumed.
The people lived spread in several extended families
. Such an extended family derives its origin up to a mythological ancestor. Ancestor veneration has a characteristic form here: these mythological ancestors are demon
-like figures, they feature in myths, and act as culture hero
es, arranging the ancient world to its recent state, introducing plants, animals, cultural goods. They have often the form of plants or animals, there is a kind of totemism
, but it is not accompanied by a regular food taboo of the respective animal or plant. Totems can appear both in artefacts and myths.
The word for such an ancestral spirit being is dema in the Marind languages
. The material similarity of this word to “demon” is incidental. Each extended family keeps and transfers the tradition, it is especially the chore of the big men
of the respective family. The influence of these big men does not go beyond their extended family.
The Marind-anim are also notable for their sexual culture, centered around a cult of male homosexuality. In the century or so before European contact, young Marind-anim men were led through initiatory rituals involving their participation as passive partners in an orgiastic sodomy cult. Ritual intercourse with women effectively constituted a form of collective sexual assault, with marriage commencing with the gang rape of the bride by the husband's male kin. The sexual practices of the Marind-anim exacerbated the threat of demographic collapse imposed by a high rate of infertility, and the Marind-anim consequently maintained their population by capturing children in head-hunting raids.
Their culture was researched by several ethnologists, for example the Swiss Paul Wirz, the German Hans Nevermann, and the Dutch cultural anthropologist Jan van Baal, who was the Governor of Netherlands New Guinea
from 1953 until 1958.
The Marind languages
form a small family of the Trans–New Guinea language phylum.
Image A fabulous image of warriors with their drums; the man on the left holds an extremely rare type of carved wooden fish totem.
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, south of the lower parts of river Digul, east of Yos Sudarso Island
Yos Sudarso Island
Pulau Yos Sudarso is an island in Papua province, Indonesia. It is separated only by narrow channels from the main island of New Guinea. It also known as Pulau Dolok, Pulau Dolak and Pulau Kimaam, has also been known as Kolepom Island, and in the Dutch colonial period was known as Frederik Hendrik...
, mainly west of Maro River
Maro River
Maro River flows in Merauke Regency, Papua Province, Indonesia. The Maro flows from north-east to south-west, into the Arafura Sea. The river is strongly tidal for most of its length and its lower reaches are affected by salt water. Associated with the river is a complex system of swamps and oxbow...
(a small area goes beyond Maro at its lower part, including Merauke
Merauke
Merauke is a town considered to be one of the easternmost towns in Indonesia, located in Merauke Regency, Papua province, Indonesia. It is next to Maro River.In 2006 it had a population of 71,838....
). Today the area inhabited by Marind-anim is contained by Papua province
Papua (Indonesian province)
Papua comprises most of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. Its capital is Jayapura. It's the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia. The province originally covered the entire western half of New Guinea...
of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
In the past, they were famed because of headhunting
Headhunting
Headhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing them. Headhunting was practised in historic times in parts of China, India, Nigeria, Nuristan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Borneo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Zealand, and the Amazon Basin, as...
. This was rooted in their belief system and linked to the name-giving of the newborn. The skull was believed to contain a mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
-like force. Headhunting was not motivated primarily by cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
, but the already killed person's flesh was consumed.
The people lived spread in several extended families
Extended family
The term extended family has several distinct meanings. In modern Western cultures dominated by nuclear family constructs, it has come to be used generically to refer to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, whether they live together within the same household or not. However, it may also refer...
. Such an extended family derives its origin up to a mythological ancestor. Ancestor veneration has a characteristic form here: these mythological ancestors are demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
-like figures, they feature in myths, and act as culture hero
Culture hero
A culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group who changes the world through invention or discovery...
es, arranging the ancient world to its recent state, introducing plants, animals, cultural goods. They have often the form of plants or animals, there is a kind of totemism
Totemism
Totemism is a system of belief in which humans are said to have kinship or a mystical relationship with a spirit-being, such as an animal or plant...
, but it is not accompanied by a regular food taboo of the respective animal or plant. Totems can appear both in artefacts and myths.
The word for such an ancestral spirit being is dema in the Marind languages
Marind languages
The Marind languages are a well established language family of Papuan languages, spoken by the Marind-anim. They form part of the Trans–New Guinea languages in the classifications of Stephen Wurm and Malcolm Ross.* Marind family...
. The material similarity of this word to “demon” is incidental. Each extended family keeps and transfers the tradition, it is especially the chore of the big men
Big man (anthropology)
A Big Man refers to a highly influential individual in a tribe, especially in Melanesia and Polynesia. Such person has no formal authority , but maintains recognition through skilled persuasion and wisdom.-Big Man "system":The American anthropologist Marshall Sahlins has been a proponent of the Big...
of the respective family. The influence of these big men does not go beyond their extended family.
The Marind-anim are also notable for their sexual culture, centered around a cult of male homosexuality. In the century or so before European contact, young Marind-anim men were led through initiatory rituals involving their participation as passive partners in an orgiastic sodomy cult. Ritual intercourse with women effectively constituted a form of collective sexual assault, with marriage commencing with the gang rape of the bride by the husband's male kin. The sexual practices of the Marind-anim exacerbated the threat of demographic collapse imposed by a high rate of infertility, and the Marind-anim consequently maintained their population by capturing children in head-hunting raids.
Their culture was researched by several ethnologists, for example the Swiss Paul Wirz, the German Hans Nevermann, and the Dutch cultural anthropologist Jan van Baal, who was the Governor of Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea refers to the West Papua region while it was an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. Until 1949 it was a part of the Netherlands Indies. It was commonly known as Dutch New Guinea...
from 1953 until 1958.
The Marind languages
Marind languages
The Marind languages are a well established language family of Papuan languages, spoken by the Marind-anim. They form part of the Trans–New Guinea languages in the classifications of Stephen Wurm and Malcolm Ross.* Marind family...
form a small family of the Trans–New Guinea language phylum.
See also
- Dugout (boat)Dugout (boat)A dugout or dugout canoe is a boat made from a hollowed tree trunk. Other names for this type of boat are logboat and monoxylon. Monoxylon is Greek -- mono- + ξύλον xylon -- and is mostly used in classic Greek texts. In Germany they are called einbaum )...
- Asmat peopleAsmat peopleThe Asmat are an ethnic group of New Guinea, residing in the Papua province of Indonesia. Possessing one of the most well-known and vibrant woodcarving traditions in the Pacific, their art is sought by collectors worldwide...
- SagoSagoSago is a starch extracted in the spongy center or pith, of various tropical palm stems, Metroxylon sagu. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas, where it is called saksak and sagu. A type of flour, called sago flour, is made from sago. The largest supply...
- Papuan people
- Papuan mythologyPapuan mythologyThe Papuans are one of four major cultural groups of Papua New Guinea. The majority of the population lives in rural areas. In isolated areas there still remains a handful of the giant communal structures that previously housed the whole male population, with a circling cluster of huts for the...
- SwampSwampA swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
- Digging stickDigging stickIn archaeology and anthropology a digging stick is the term given to a variety of wooden implements used primarily by subsistence-based cultures to dig out underground food such as roots and tubers or burrowing animals and anthills...
- Hourglass drumHourglass drumHourglass drums are a sub-category of membranophone, or drum, characterized by an hourglass shape. They are also known as waisted drums...
- Secret societySecret societyA secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
External links
TextImage A fabulous image of warriors with their drums; the man on the left holds an extremely rare type of carved wooden fish totem.