Though geographically situated considerably close together, the lifestyle and culture difference which can be observed between Australia and the Trobriand Islands is quite extensive, However upon close inspection, many similarities can be drawn between the two island cultures. This cross—cultural study observes the similarities and differences between the Australian and Trobriand Island cultures, with the main focus being on roles and status and life in a typical Trobriand Island family, and exploring in detail the implications of work and technology in the Australian culture and how this makes it different from Trobriand Island families. Roles and Status: The Roles and Status of the Trobriand Islands differ greatly to those in the typical Australian family. Perhaps the greatest or most obvious difference is the matriarchal system in place in Trobriand Island culture.
A matriarchy is a form of society where the power lies with the women, especially the mothers, in a community. It is also a matrilineal society, meaning the children are identified in terms of their mother rather than their father, and extended families and tribal alliances are structured along the female bloodlines. In the Trobriand Islands, the father is seen only as the husband of the mother, having no connection to the child itself. Despite this, the father will still have an impact on their child’s life The Trobriand Islanders have a distinct belief that sex does not result in procreation, feeling it is only for pleasure. Instead, they firmly believe the gods bless a woman with a child, thus resulting in the matriarchal and matrilineal society which can be observed in practice there.
In contrast to the Trobriand Islands, Australia is a patriarchal society, with power generally being held with the eldest male in a family, though following the feminist movements of the 20‘“ century the male dominance has become somewhat less prevalent, with equality between males and females seen more in both societies and families. Australia also practices the more common scientific belief that sex results in procreation, making them differ greatly to the Trobriand Islands in regards to sexual practices I have observed through an interview that in my own family, the dominance seems to lie with my mother. She was often found to give more extensive answers to questions and have a much more assertive opinion. When questioned about this she said ‘I think you’d find that in most families the mother would be the one who contributed the most to this kind of thing’ Status plays a very important role in the lives of Trobriand Island people.
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This can be observed in Trobriand Cricket. Cricket was introduced to the Trobriand Islands by Christian Missionaries who believed the game would acculturate the Trobriand Islanders to British customs. However, the game was quickly adapted to suit Trobriand culture by increasing the number of players, modifying the bats and balls, and adding dances and chants. This shows just how resistant the Trobriand Island culture is to colonisation, and is a good example of syncretism, In any game of Trobriand Cricket, the host will always win, and the guests will lose. If the guest team suspects they have a chance of winning, they will change their strategy so that the hosts will be the victors. The event, therefore, confirms the status of the hosts rather than creates it as it does in the Western version of the game. Another activity which validates the status of Trobriand Island Tribes is the trading and exchange of Kula. Those who participate in the exchange can often travel for hundreds of miles to neighbouring tribes to exchange shell disc necklaces which are traded to the north, and shell armbands which are traded to the south.
In the Trobriand Islands, involvement is controlled by the chiefs. The Kula exchange system can be observed as emphasizing status and authority distinctions since the hereditary chief owns the most important shell valuables and takes responsibility for organizing and directing the journey taken in order to participate in the exchange. Family Life: In the Trobriand Islands family plays quite a significant role in the community. The saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ can be observed in practice in the Trobriand society, with entire tribes coming together as families and support systems, united by one chief, and on a larger scale, a paramount chief Families will spend a lot of time together; even when the son moves out of his family home into his ‘bachelor house’ he will still return at meal time to eat dinner with his family. In the typical Australian society, there is now a lack of importance placed on time spent with family.
This is the result of many things, but predominately the excessive means of communication and entertainment available, and the stress of working parents Currently there is a vast array of communication technologies available including, but not limited to, phones, email, blogs, messenger and email. There is also a wider range of entertainment sources such as the internet, television, DVD, foxtel and radio. With this extensive supply of distractions, families rely on each other less for entertainment and consequently spend less time together in comparison to Trobriand Island families, whose only source of entertainment is each other Also, many families now have one or both parents participating in the workforce. At the end of the day when the family returns home from school and work or other activities, they are often exhausted and not in the mood for socialising in an intense fashion.
In my family, I notice at the end of the day we all go our separate ways and prefer seclusion and privacy to each others company When questioned on how the Australian family has changed in the past one hundred years, my father responded ‘There are too many outside influences on families today; there are too many things to be distracted byi’ Similarly my mother felt ‘The biggest changes I think are just in technology itself. Back then entertainment would have been sitting back and talking to your family“,We are just overwhelmed with how we can communicate so we are not as reliant on each other as far as entertainment goes.’ However when questioned about what family meant to them, both of my parents stated that family was everything to them. This idea is prevalent in both Trobriand Island and Australian culture. In terms of responsibility and protection the man and woman have very different roles in a typical Trobriand family It is the father’s responsibility to be the protector and provider for the family.
As a result of this, he will be the one to construct the family home, Woman are also not permitted to go fishing as there is a prevalence of sharks in the water surrounding the islands, and it is a common islander belief that woman shouldn’t take part in activities which are physically threatening. The belief of the male in the family being the protector and provider is also common, yet perhaps more understated, in Australian societyt Prior to the 1960’s women in Australian society were regarded as having a more supportive role in the household, their responsibilities being mainly looking after the family and the home, After the 1960’s however the status of women in society changed.
Today it is acceptable for the woman to provide and protect the family, though this is uncommon. Generally, the roles and responsibilities are shared equally between the male and the female, In my family I have a very strong working mother, and whilst my parent’s debate who is the main financial contributor to the family it is obvious that my mother is the one with a strong passion for work and business. The more domestic duties that would stereotypically be carried out by the woman are shared out between each member of our family. It is quite obvious that the cultural differences between Australia and the Trobriand Islands are extensive.
This is a result of technological advances in entertainment and communication methods in Australia, and lack there of in the Trobriand Islands. However, despite all of these advances, the greatest similarity between the two cultures lies in their opinion of the importance of family. There is a certain unity and strong connection felt by both cultures and this is obvious from the ways that they interact and communicate with each otheri The belief that family is the most important thing is present in both societies and is perhaps the greatest unifying belief globally. Another unifying quality is the ideals Trobriand Island and Australian families wish their future generations to represent.
