Transformations of Monetary Symbols in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea
Abstracts
This article discusses the transformations of “monetary” systems among the Hagen people of the Western Highlands Province and the Duna people of the Southern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea, with some cross-reference to the Wiru people also of the Southern Highlands Province. The materials demonstrate how colonial and post-colonial experiences have impacted the way these monetary forms have been perceived over time. The “worth” and “moral” weight of the shell valuables that were used prior to the introduction of paper money and coins were integral to definitions of self and personhood. The decline of indigenous systems of exchange has changed the definitional parameters of what we call the “relational-individual” within the group and the ways in which transactions of all kinds are conducted. Reflecting on this point, the people themselves have used this topic of alterations in the kinds of monetary forms they employ in transactions to construct their own narratives of historical transformations.
Index terms
Keywords :
monnaie, Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée, cosmologie, transformation historique, monnaies de coquillageReferences
Bibliographical reference
Pamela J. Stewart and Andrew Strathern, “Transformations of Monetary Symbols in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea”, L’Homme, 162 | 2002, 137-156.
Electronic reference
Pamela J. Stewart and Andrew Strathern, “Transformations of Monetary Symbols in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea”, L’Homme [Online], 162 | avril-juin 2002, Online since 03 July 2007, connection on 29 March 2024. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/lhomme/159; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/lhomme.159
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