Nguna - Economy



Subsistence and Commercial Activities. Ngunese horticultural production focuses on manioc and numerous varieties of taro and yams, although imported foods such as rice, sugar, and tea may also be considered staples. Seasonal Supplements to these staples are: fish and other seafoods; and fruits and nuts, including papayas, oranges, bananas, Canarium. almonds, mangoes, pineapples, and breadfruit. In addition, small numbers of livestock—chickens, pigs, and cattle—are raised. These animals are rarely consumed, However, outside of special events such as weddings. The universal primary source of cash is the cutting and drying of ripe Coconuts, producing copra to be marketed through local cooperatives, each of which employs a "secretary" to oversee the sale of the copra and run a general store owned by the members. A few individuals—or, more often, a group of kin (a "company")—make a portion of their cash income through "taxi" work (i.e., running a transportation service by launch or truck) or through opening a small store in their home. Many engage in part-time work that entails many labor hours but little, if any, cash outlay (e.g., baking bread, sewing, weaving, and carving).

Industrial Arts. Many women are expert weavers of rious types of pandanus mats and baskets for use by themselves and their families, as well as for giving as gifts on special occasions or for sale. While men generally do not weave, some carve such articles as souvenir war clubs, bows and arrows, and outrigger canoes for sale. A small handful of people engage in more substantial craft production (e.g., building launches, which take several months to complete but net a very large cash income).

Trade. There is evidence for the existence of an extensive trade network involving Nguna in precontact times. Today, Vila is the hub: the primary trade activity is that of taking produce, in both raw and cooked forms, and products of the arts and crafts industry to the Vila market for sale to urbanites and tourists. While labor-intensive, this enterprise yields a substantial profit and constitutes a pleasant day's outing as well, especially for women who, traveling cheaply and safely in groups of six to ten, often take the opportunity to visit relatives, especially grown children who live in Vila or surrounding areas.

Division of Labor. In terms of garden work, male and female tasks are differentiated: males do the jobs entailed in field preparation that require greater muscular strength, such as felling and clearing trees; females do those jobs requiring more time and care, such as the cleanup that follows burning off vegetation. Planting is often engaged in by both sexes. Once established, fields and crops are largely maintained and harvested by women, although gardening trips are often conducted in tandem by wife and husband. These divisions and similar ones in other contexts—such as women being the primary cooks in the home—are generally, but not strictly, observed, and they are not backed by any strong convictions such as the "female pollution" beliefs found in other parts of Melanesia.

Land Tenure. Communal ownership of land is vested in matriclans. The pattern of actual land use, however, is a matter of individuals' pressing claims through diverse lines of connection. The strongest claim is through one's father's having worked the land previously. But claims through one's mother or other relatives may also be made. Several factors make rival land claims difficult to resolve in the Contemporary situation: a growing population; absenteeism of young Ngunese employed off-island; and more land given over to coconuts. Together these have put the land tenure system under considerable stress and rendered land distribution less flexible.

Also read article about Nguna from Wikipedia

User Contributions:

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: