Sacred Revenge in Oceania

by Pamela J. Stewart, Andrew Strathern

Overview

Revenge is an important motivation in human affairs relating to conflict and violence, and it is a notable feature in many societies within Oceania, where revenge is traditionally a sacred duty to the dead whose spirits demand it. Revenge instantiates a norm of reciprocity in the cosmos, ensuring a balance between violent and peaceful sequences of ritual action. Revenge further remains an important hidden factor in processes of violence beyond Oceania, revealing deep human propensities for retaliatory acts and the tendency to elevate these into principles of legitimacy. Sacred revenge may also be transcended through practices of wealth exchange.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108717328
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/29/2018
Series:	Elements in Religion and Violence
Pages:	75
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.05(h) x 0.20(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; Bellona Island; 'Payback', and its cosmic implications; Revenge and sorcery-divination; The genesis of exchange – Mount Hagen; Historical complications in the revenge complex; Peace-making in Hagen – A Reprise in Ongka's Account; Maring and Melpa – from elementary to complex structures; Variant ontologies – extensions of the model of sacred revenge; Structures in history – The Enga; Envoi: gifts and violence; Broader contexts; Some ending thoughts.