Myths and Social Structure in the Moluccas and the Southeastern Islands

Abstract

After the rather lengthy discussion of certain mythological and social phenomena in the Timor archipelago, let us now turn to Tanimbar and Kei, where we shall encounter practically identical structural forms. We shall be able to check the validity of our results, and possibly deepen our understanding of them, by what we shall find in these seemingly more primitive societies. The parallelism between the Tanimbar “trias politica” and that of Timor is patent. The mangsombe stands as the central figure in opposition to the mangaf wajak and the pnuwe nduan, and here too the triad more or less overshadows an original four-five division.