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 Catholic Missionization

Catholic missionization has had a mixed effect on the Triobriands' daily life.  Most of the island remains faithful to their native tribal traditions.  To counteract this difficulty, the Church often sends missionaries with experience converting animist tribes. One example of that duplexity is that during a Trobriand funeral there is sometimes a Christian blessing to supplement a traditional burial.

Cricket

After tribal conflict was banned, cricket became a replacement for war in the Trobriand culture.  The colonial powers were appalled with the violence and sexual displays associated with tribal warfare. Matches are often played between all male teams and last for several months.   There are often feasts for the winning team.  While regular cricket is played around the world, these islanders add their own elements which reflect their culture. Since this sport resembles war, there is not a limit on team size. For example, every time a team scores there is a special dance ritual involved. These dances are an adaptation of the former war rituals. Therefore, they consist of taunts and jeers often criticizing the other team. "The words are sexual metaphors, used as one team taunts the other and exhibits their physical and sexual prowess to the appraising eyes of the young women on the sidelines" Often, there is also magic involved in this sporting event.   Teams will use charms and incantations to gain an advantage in the match. For example a spell could be used to make the team less efficient in scoring. The visiting team is expected to lose when visiting a rival island.  However, when this is not the case, there are often reports of vandalism and arson when matches end unfavorably for the home team.  During such events, yam houses are burned which is considered a major insult.   In essence, this form of cricket has a more aggressive feel and is an important part of Trobriand life.

Trobriand Islands In The Modern Day

Growing population

Since 1975, the government of Papua New Guinea has had political control of the island. In this time of growth, the population of the island is expanding quickly. Therefore, more land is needed to be cleared to accommodate the increasing population.   In other words, there are environmental concerns like deforestation which affect the islands. To counteract this, the government often sends social workers to increase the use of birth control and contraception. However, the Trobriand culture is not accepting the outside influences dictating their reproductive norms.  This means that sex is "the most natural thing in the culture". Another effect of Trobriand promiscuity is the rapid spread of HIV/Aids on the island. The first documented case of HIV/Aids was reported in 2001. Nowadays, HIV has become a major health problem.  Since young Trobrianders often have multiple sexual partners before marriage, it is hard to slow the spread of the disease. “The moralistic tropes of risk and promiscuity that dominate the language of HIV prevention are not easily accommodated by Trobriand ideations of sexuality, which celebrate premarital sexual activity as healthy and life-affirming, and which stress the productive values of reciprocity and relations of difference ”

Income Inequality

After statehood in 1975, the Trobriand Islands’ economy has been restructured to fit a tourist and export market. Most Trobrianders live on less than one dollar a day.   Since food has been traditionally distributed among the people based on their need, there has been little need for a currency based economy outside of the Kula rings.  To counteract this lack of hard currency, several western goods stores have opened on the islands and created most of the foreign goods market. These stores are multimillion dollar enterprises. However, most Trobrianders struggle to pay for goods from these stores because they only take cash. Due to this practice, there are often reports of unrest because of a lack of funds.  One remedy that many islanders seek is to sell cultural artifacts and relics to tourists in exchange for their currency.  For example, a worker can spend 10 days working on a ceremonial turtle bowl and only get paid $10. "However this commercialization is often done sanctimoniously. " “They protect their cultural identity and use it a as a tourist commodity”. However, one of the items imported that causes economic and social problems is betel nuts.  They are a major narcotic on the island.  Due to this new currency based economy there is more reported crime on the islands.  There is a great economic disparity due to the income inequality between the modern world and the Trobriands.

Early eample education on the islands

 Education

In addition to missionary schools, there are public schools on the Trobriands which were introduced by the government of Papua New Guinea “All children are required to go to school” The required subjects are English, Math, Science and culture.  Schools also educate students about current international events .  Math is the favorite subject among the students of the island. On Wednesdays, the children are required to dress in traditional garb as part of the government mandated culture day.  During this time, children are encouraged to explore Trobriand culture, history and values.