The Value of Teor (Lavalava)

Abstract

In her article Talks about a Changing World (1994), the German anthropologist Verena Keck lets young Yupno men from Papua New Guinea voice their opinions by describing a debate on tradition and modern trends. In this text, both the inherent logic of the debate and the contradiction between thought and argument resulting from the ambivalent situation of the Yupno, who live in the village and earn their money in town become clear. My description of parts of a women’s meeting on Lamotrek, which took place in April 2007, follows Keck’s method (Field Notes 04/2007, on the same theme 09/2006). The wishes of the women on Lamotrek to pursue an emancipated path are often in conflict with their role of preserver of cultural knowledge, as was discussed in the previous sections.