FREE ESSAY ON TROBRIAND ISLAND CULTURE- CRICKET

TROBRIAND ISLAND CULTURE- CRICKET

T r o b r i a n d I s l a n d C r i c k e t
Moiz Bhinderwala
Westford, MA
A. In one paragraph, describe the subjects of the documentary. Tell who they are, where
they live and why the film was made. 
The subjects of this documentary 'Trobriand Cricket- An Ingenious Response to
Colonialism', are these interesting people, natives of the Trobriand islands, which is
located off the coast of Papua-New Guinea. The trobrianders are a tribe who are driven by
a culture where magic holds a significant role. Before the arrival of the European
missionaries magic was widely used in inter-tribal warfare. 
The British missionaries who arrived in the Trobriands around the late 19th century found
the ritualized warfare of the Trobrianders "barbarous" and immediately forbade it.
Coincidentally, they introduced the game of cricket to the Islanders as a substitute for
the conflict between two local groups, and to encourage morality. This game, which was
introduced in its original form in the early 20th century, has changed quite a lot to fit
into the culture of the Trobriand people. 
This film was made to highlight the Trobriand Cricket as a great example of Acculturation
- how one part of a culture is transmitted through contact between groups with different
cultures, in this case the contact of the British missionaries with the people of the
Trobriand Islands. It depicts how the game of cricket has undergone a remarkable cultural
transformation, among the people of Trobriand islands.
Mixture of Good and Evil: 
The values important to this culture show that the Trobrianders believe in both the
goodness and evilness of human nature. As an example for their belief in goodness, we can
use the fact that the elder people are revered in this society. They may not play the
game, but they are in charge of jobs like keeping in pace with the score-keeper of the
game, counting off the number of batsmen left, and so on. Another example is the gifts of
prestige food that these people exchange in the ceremony after the game. One more amazing
aspect that their game has developed is the fact that the victory of the hosting team is
understood in advance, it is predecided. So according to our definitions, the game of
cricket that these people play is not a sport. This is done in order to pay respect to
the organizers of the game, especially the center man. This points out their belief in
the goodness of human nature. 
Similarly, their belief that Man also has evil in him, is evident when the game is
abandoned and the narrator tells us that there is a certain air of suspicion among the
players, that the opponents from the sponsoring political movement may have brought on
rain with counter-magic to purposely stop the game.
Man in harmony with Nature: 
The Trobrianders live in harmony with the nature that surrounds them, and this is evident
in their sense of dressing, decoration, their tools. They use palm fronds to count the
score of a game, or to count the number of baskets of yam, when they are farming. The
bats, balls and stumps they use are carved out of light and hard wood. The clothes they
wear, especially the traditional pubic covering that is expected of cricket players,
which is made from the skin of a beetlenut tree. They use natural products as part of
their everyday lives. The fact that man should in every way live in complete harmony with
nature, is synthesized in their set of values. 
Present Oriented: 
Although we can witness all the 3 different kinds of time-orientations, the present is
valued a lot more than the past or the future. The Trobriand people do yam farming, but
at the same time, during the harvest period they invest their time for the game of
cricket. They prefer living in the present. They do not worry too much about future, nor
do they base their values upon what has happened in the past. As the narrator says, the
game of cricket is still evolving in Trobriand, it shows that the people are open to
changes in the game, and not prejudiced. 
Doing:
The Trobriands have characteristic dances and chants, which were specially created for
the game of cricket. All the out dances are danced with chants that are to taunt the
batsman from the opposing team who has just got out. They criticize and ridicule the
ability of a player, using these chants. This shows that for these people Doing is very
important. If you do not play well, you will be taunted at. If a batsman gets run out, he
is taunted by chanting: "Stupidity! Stupidity! Wicket left open."
Here, the batsman who has got run out is being taunted for what he did (leaving the
wickets uncovered-open) It doesn't matter how good the player was, an out dance is
performed for every batsman that gets out. This shows the emphasis on action in this
culture. Even the center man, magicians and the organizers for the game are respected for
the work they do, not the positions they hold. This underlies the fact that it is Doing
that is important to the Trobrianders. Their set of ideas for what is right or wrong, lay
emphasis on action.
Group oriented:
The first thing to be changed in the cricket game was the limited number of players.
Twelve men on a side could not accommodate all the players in a tribe. The number was
expanded to 50 or so, depending on how many showed up in the host village for the game.
The other side then was allowed to have the same number. This shows their need to work as
a group, to function as a group. This need is also evident at the point where the field
is being prepared for the game, people work in groups to get the field ready. All dances,
rituals and chants are performed as a group. They work as one team, instead of separate
individual parts. No one commands anyone, even the center man works only as an organizer,
not a leader. 
B. What are the effects of outside influences on this culture? Is the culture changing?
What will be gained/lost?
The British missionaries who arrived in the Trobriands found that the ritualized form of
inter-tribal warfare which also involved magic was barbarous and immediately forbade it.
Coincidentally, they introduced the game of cricket to the Islanders. When introduced to
the Trobrianders, however, something wonderful happened to the game of cricket. It
underwent a remarkable cultural transformation. It was an evolutionary process, over the
last 80 years, and it continues even today. 
The British influence from colonists, and more especially from missionaries, became felt
less and less. The islanders slowly began to recapture their native customs. Ritualized
warfare was still outlawed, but the magic lived in the people, and the fight was in the
men.
The first thing to go in the cricket game was the limited number of players. Twelve men
on a side could not accommodate all the fighters in a tribe. The number was expanded to
50 or so, depending on how many showed up in the host village for the game. The other
side then was allowed to have the same number of warriors (players). Then the magic came
back. In the old days there were many incantations and secret spells cast by the magician
to empower the spear-throwers. These same spells, with some modification, began to be
placed on the bats used in play. There were no balls generally used in the old tribal
wars, so no magic was available for the balls. But wait! There was magic for the throwing
arm (formerly with spear in hand) and that same magic could grant strength and true-aim
to a pitcher. And so on, the magic was used. 
Best of all was the transformation of the dancing and chanting into an element of the
cricket game. What we see in the Trobriand Islands is a transformation of war into dance.
On the morning of a game, by this decade, the warriors wake up, put on their paint and
battle dress, and dance in line to the village hosting the game. They enter the field,
dancing and chanting, taunting the other side to dare compete. The home team then does
the same. The chants and spectacle incorporate ancient tribal totems and current
advertising slogans. The dancing is precise, vigorous, aggressive, and fierce. The game
is usually played for two days, involving as many innings as there are players, and no
one is killed. The game ends with a feast provided by the host chief (for political
reasons) and the Trobriand Cricket game is over.
Hence we see that this game of cricket has undergone quite a lot of change, change to
suit the Trobriand way of life. The game was transformed in many ways. Perhaps the
biggest change was that the home team was always the winner - this according to our
definition does not constitute a sport. In addition, the visiting teams batted first.
Each out was followed by a celebration. The bowling action was not traditional. Runners
as well as batsmen. Bat and ball were not regular. They bowled alternately from each end.
There was no limit to the number of players. Scoring varied considerably with 6 runs
being scored by a lost ball, or hitting the ball over the highest coconut tree. Umpire
was from the batting side, and when sides changed so did the umpire. There were ritual
entrance dances. There was the mascot dressed as a tourist. Instead of trophies, there
was a ceremony of exchanging food with the home team putting on the feast. But more than
changing the rules and format of the game, it also meant totally different things for the
Trobriands. It was introduced as a substitute for intertribal warfare and much of the
game gook on war-like aspects: the throwing of the ball that replaced bowling was very
similar to the action of spear throwing; the bodies were decorated in war colors and
designs; and the field entry and exit dances were those of war formations. The Trobriands
reinterpreted the English game of cricket to suit their own culture.
The Trobriand Island Cricket is transmitted by learned rules viewed visually and oral
transmission of rules, rituals and traditions. 
Thus the outside influence of European missionaries during the late 19th century did
change the culture of the Trobriand people. European colonialism brought with it
industrial goods like chewing gum, modern form of dressing (shirts, trousers), carry
bags, etc. The people were exposed to such products and adapted them to their own living.
The brand name of a chewing gum, was used in chants to represent something that is
sticky, in this case, it was the hands of the person who catches a ball hit by a batsman
and gets him out. It is very interesting to notice that the people have incorporated
words like PK in their chants!! One can also notice some of the players not in the
traditional pubic dressing, but instead in shorts made out of cotton cloth. I also
noticed that the umpire had a small carry-bag wrapped around his shoulder. It is indeed
fascinating to see all these products in the form that they have been incorporated into
this culture. 
The Trobriand culture did lose a lot due to the interference of the European
missionaries. Their method of establishing superiority over an opposing tribe through
warfare was stopped by the missionaries. This led to a drastic cultural change. The
missionaries and the government officials now had to find something to replace the
traditional warfare, and they did. They introduced the game of cricket to the people! It
seems that this change brought about by the missionaries has brought about a more
peaceful life in these islands. Had the missionaries not interfered in the first place,
these islands would have been a different scene today!