Origin and Purpose of the Clans

72 6 Clan System—Land Ownership

6.1 Origin and Purpose of the Clans

Long ago, the story goes, a man and his wife went to their garden leaving their only child in the care of the wife’s mother, who had the form of a snake. As the father returned, he heard the child crying inside the mother-in-law’s house. He quietly ran and peeked through the bamboo wall. To his horror he saw the mother- in-law wrapped around the child, squeezing the life out of it. In desperation, the father took his bush knife, charged into the house, and cut the snake into pieces. Those pieces grew into separate groups of people called sara and to this day, these groups are represented by the different clan entities of the Rotokas area and beyond. While discussing the beginning of man from the standpoint of the Bible, one Rotokas man had several interesting questions. Why were only two people created? Were there two clans from the beginning of the human race? How could this be, if woman was created from man? The conclusion of the Rotokas man was that the Holy Spirit inspired man to organize the clan system some time after the beginning of mankind, in order to have guidelines for marriage, inheritance, respect, etc. “If there is only one clan, then there is no basis for respect. Man’s lifestyle would be like that of common animals which have no shame and are always fighting.” There are at least two major functions of the clan system. One has to do with marriage and the other with land. Marriage was discussed in section 4.3. It was shown that matters of incest and adultery are also affected by clan taboos. On this general subject, Oliver states: …on Bougainville historically one of the features of matrilineage groupings [which I am calling clan groupings] was their exogamy, i.e., no person was permitted to marry a fellow member, the penalty for marrying within one’s matrilineage being both social ostracism or even death and supernatural in the form of a curse. The explanation or perhaps rationalization of this prohibition was that matrilineage mates were linked by the closest of all kin ties, much closer than those linking father and child or husband and wife Oliver 1973:68. An interesting complication related to marriage and clan lines was shown in the lives of our closest neighbors in the village of Togarao. The married couple had never appeared to be an integral part of village life. This was the case, even though the woman was the daughter of a very important and influential woman, and the man at one time was the elected village government leader. One explanation for his election was that he was aggressive and would not let expatriates “push him around.” The man had escaped a murderous raid made upon his family in the Aita area during his youth. Only he and his mother avoided death and made their way to Togarao village. There, they were cared for during the following years by a family of the Orokui clan. However, he and his mother belonged to the Vatova clan, located for the most part on the west coast, just south of Amun Point Keriaka-Kunua. A good friend’s paternal grandmother also belonged to this clan. The Vatova clan appears to be similar to the Ovuveo, as evidenced by the fact that our friend’s father from the Vatova married into the Orokui clan. On the other hand, marriage between the Vatova clan and the Kakata clans is not uncommon and this would strengthen the position that the Vatova clan is more like the Orokui-Suriketo group. The predicament in which our neighbor found himself was that older Rotokas people, especially those with ties to the Keriaka side of the island, looked upon this man as a Vatova clansman, who had violated a law of exogamy by marrying into a clan too closely related to his own. In fact, he is identified as an Ovuveo clansman. On the other hand, since he was cared for by the Orokui clan and married “legitimately” across clan boundaries, he is looked upon as an Orokui. Our friend says that after this generation passes on, it will probably all be forgotten. For the present, however, there are still the feelings that this man’s family the man himself died in 1983 has the unfair advantage of being associated with both the Vatova and the Orokui clans. Relationships arising from clan allegiance are not soon forgotten. Twelve years after his marriage to a woman from Atsilima on the west coast, David A. received a demand for a bride payment from a representative of his wife’s clan. David A. wrote to the man, refusing to pay. He stated that it was not a matter for the clan to settle; it was only the concern of the parents. Another reason for refusing was that his money was tied up in family obligations such as schooling for the children, their property, etc. The only recourse he 73 would have would be to return his wife Furthermore, he pointed out, since the wife of the man demanding payment belonged to David A’s. clan, by the same token, the man should be required to pay a bride price to his clan The second purpose of the clan system is to define land ownership. Land ownership in relation to the clan system goes back to the worship of the eternal, primary spirit of the Rotokas people, called Pauto. This benevolent spirit existed before all others, clan totems and spirit beings included, therefore he was the original tokipato administrator of all the land. In the past, feasts were given near Pauto’s dwelling place, i.e., a large, predominant kasava tree, a stone, a spring of water, etc. It was in such areas that the remains of the cremated dead were buried. A plate tauo was made by cutting and folding a limbum leaf sheath; this was used for an offering of pieces of food. The limbum used for this is a large type that grows at higher elevations. The word tauo also means “an offering.” This chief spirit would gather the ghosts of the dead clansmen at the time of the offering and would then stay in this place. The spirit was instrumental in teaching the people to plant gardens and helped to establish staple crops still grown by the Rotokas people today.

6.2 Names of Totems and the Distribution of the Clans