1928 Orokaiva Magic By Williams Taro Cult Papua New Guinea Superstitions

I have here for sale a book entitled OROKAIVA MAGIC by F E Williams. It is a first edition published by Oxford University Press and Humphrey Milford in 1928. The book covers the Taro Cult and the Garden Culture of the Orokaiva tribe of Papua New Guinea. The traditional beliefs of the Orokaiva, though in many respects vague and locally variable, focus primarily on the "spirits of the dead" and their influence on the living. The Orokaiva have no high god.

Formerly, they were animists, believing in the existence of souls (asisi) in Humans, plants, and animals. The taro spirit is of particular importance and is the inspiration and foundation of the Taro Cult.

Dances are held often, sometimes accompanied by music, singing, and drums. From time to time, bigmen sponsor large redistributive feasts, featuring pig sacrifices and food distribution. Activities associated with the taro cult (the "Kava Keva" cult) are the major ritual activity.

The Taro Cult began about 1915 and soon evolved into ritual practices meant to placate the spirits of the dead (sovai) who control the taro crop. Thus, it is both a fertility cult and a cult of the dead.

Taro men lead the ritual which includes choral singing, drumming, feasting, and violent shaking movements. There are 7 b/w plates, 1 diagram in text and a b/w map at the end of the book. Bound in navy cloth hardboards with a gilt motif to the centre of the front board.

Gilt lettering and a gilt publisher's logo to the spine. Spine has been rebacked in similar colour cloth and the original spine reattached over the top. Minor wear to the corners. Glossary and index at the rear.

Ex-library so some small stamps to a few pages. We have over 2000 items in our shop on a range of subjects, so please feel free to have a browse and see if anything else takes your fancy. We wrap and post the parcels on Monday and Tuesday - therefore if you pay before midday on Tuesday we will get it in the postal sacks on Tuesday night, and if it is after that time then it will go into the postal service on the following Monday.

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