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Life and Death in New Guinea

Using a combination of comparative/historical and ethnographic approaches, the concepts of the “life-death continuum” and the cosmic “life force” are examined for the Asmat tribe of New Guinea. Primary attention is paid to data gathered in Irian Jaya (Indonesian New Guinea) in 1973–74 and 1979. The roles of magic and sorcery are examined in the context of death causation, as is the notion of societal equilibrium/disequilibrium. The symbolism of the skull is covered briefly, being tied to tribal beliefs concerning attributes of humanness. Of importance are the concepts of probabilism and determinism, introduced to aid the understanding of life-death processes in Melanesian and Western societies, respectively. In conclusion, positive adjustments associated with the free expression of grief are examined cross-culturally.