Defending Against Grief on New Ireland: The Place of Mortuary Feasting in Sursurunga Society

Ritual mortuary feasting among the Sursurunga of southern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea functions as a culturally constituted defense mechanism. Grief and other unpleasant emotions are not normally expressed by Sursurunga men. Participation in mortuary feasting ritual involves a high degree of psych...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of ritual studies 1994-07, Vol.8 (2), p.115-133
Main Author: Bolyanatz, Alexander H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Emotional defense mechanisms
Feasts
Festivals
Funerals
Funerary rites
Funerary rituals
Grief
Guilt
Irish culture
Men
Mourning
Papua New Guinea
Pork
Ritual meals
Shame
Sursurunga
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Summary:Ritual mortuary feasting among the Sursurunga of southern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea functions as a culturally constituted defense mechanism. Grief and other unpleasant emotions are not normally expressed by Sursurunga men. Participation in mortuary feasting ritual involves a high degree of psychological investment on the part of individuals, and it is argued here that grief and other unpleasant emotions are expressed or acted out through participation in the activities surrounding mortuary ritual. Mortuary ritual provides Sursurunga men with a culturally endorsed means of expressing unpleasant affect.
ISSN:0890-1112