What do you think?
The Tiwi of North Australia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 9, 2018
This is from a series called "Case Studies in Cultural Anthropology," a brief overview of the Tiwi culture on the Melville islands in Northern Australia. A large portion of the study focusing on their marriage practices, which form the basis of a lot of their social life, economy, and family relations. The bride bestowal system at it existed at the time of earliest studies is complex and a lot of men's social value/capital is determined by wives bestowed to him, either from birth on or widow bestowal by male guardians. Later portions describe how contact with Western and Asian outsiders have changed the culture by the 1950s (and presumably continue to have an impact.
Overall, a good overview, though description of the bride bestowal system is a bit confusing at times, in part because the system itself involves a lot of people/families trying to leverage their power, but also because the writers do not always make it easier to understand. The chart in one chapter was helpful!
Another criticism is that the book feels very "of its time" and based on field work conducted from the 1920s through the 1950s. This might be why most of the content on the women of the Tiwi feels scant. That is, there is lots on how the men here leverage bestowal to gain power and resources within the society, they are shown as having some degree of agency (within an obviously limiting system) but little on how women maneuver through this system. Especially odd given that women are valued in large part because of their labor and skills in extracting food and other resources. It's understandable that there might not be much, given that the book is trying to provide an overview and the bestowal system seems primary to the culture, given that no part isn't affected by it, but... To me it suggests a certain oversight on the part of the authors that nowadays would be thought over a bit.
The later chapter on outside contact does contend with the impact of Catholic missionaries on the marriage system and how it impacts (or does not impact) greater freedom of mate selection for women. In general, I found this portion interesting, since it places the Tiwi within a broader context and looks at how cultures change, rather than treating them as a museum curio. Likewise, the book begins with a brief speculation about the Tiwi prior to contact. Typical of many anthropological case studies, the authors avoid any value judgements on outsider contact, whether it's good or bad, only show us how the Tiwi have changed and adapted in response.
Interesting, quick read.
Overall, a good overview, though description of the bride bestowal system is a bit confusing at times, in part because the system itself involves a lot of people/families trying to leverage their power, but also because the writers do not always make it easier to understand. The chart in one chapter was helpful!
Another criticism is that the book feels very "of its time" and based on field work conducted from the 1920s through the 1950s. This might be why most of the content on the women of the Tiwi feels scant. That is, there is lots on how the men here leverage bestowal to gain power and resources within the society, they are shown as having some degree of agency (within an obviously limiting system) but little on how women maneuver through this system. Especially odd given that women are valued in large part because of their labor and skills in extracting food and other resources. It's understandable that there might not be much, given that the book is trying to provide an overview and the bestowal system seems primary to the culture, given that no part isn't affected by it, but... To me it suggests a certain oversight on the part of the authors that nowadays would be thought over a bit.
The later chapter on outside contact does contend with the impact of Catholic missionaries on the marriage system and how it impacts (or does not impact) greater freedom of mate selection for women. In general, I found this portion interesting, since it places the Tiwi within a broader context and looks at how cultures change, rather than treating them as a museum curio. Likewise, the book begins with a brief speculation about the Tiwi prior to contact. Typical of many anthropological case studies, the authors avoid any value judgements on outsider contact, whether it's good or bad, only show us how the Tiwi have changed and adapted in response.
Interesting, quick read.
November 22, 2021
A classic overview study of early Tiwi life. There are undoubtedly some errors in Hart’s description of early Tiwi life (especially in regard to his lack of description about descent relationships to land) it is nevertheless a detailed and interesting study. Hart is notable for providing the first account of the daily machinations and workings of kinship as the theatre for social politics, rather than a set of rules and terms by which it is conducted. What his detailed work shows are the complex moves and counter-moves made in a game of wife exchange, power and prestige. This work set the stage for Hiatt’s later influential work in a similar vein.
December 30, 2009
One of a series of ethnographies on indigenous people.
(What can I say? - I have varied interests.)
(What can I say? - I have varied interests.)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews