A Ritual Response to Climatic Perturbations in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea

摘要: The impression gained by visitors to the New Guinea Highlands is of an equable climate year round with its usual, though not invariable, daily Pattern warm sunshine in mornings regularly followed rainfalls afternoons. Yet according Wola people Southern Province, their region sometimes experiences weather so inclement that food shortages occur, even famine extreme conditions. threat climatic perturbations has recently attracted popular Western interest (Houghton et al. 1990). possible environmental consequences our industrial pollution atmosphere are causing concern: so-called greenhouse effect (Slade 1990; Heymsfield and Miloshevich 1991; Vellinga Swart 1991), global warming (Maddox Hecht Schneider 1990), acid rain (Pearce Mason mention but three topical issues. While these concerns may well affect highland patterns, they do currently concern living there, unlike inhabitants some low-lying islands Pacific who fear catastrophic loss land if sea levels rise as forecast. Major usual pattern however, which say have occurred for generations, always been a worry. THE WOLA AND THEIR CLIMATE speakers occupy five valleys Papua Guinea, from Mendi River east Ak west. They live small houses scattered along sides areas extensive cane grassland, watersheds between heavily forested. Dotted across landscape neat gardens. practice shifting cultivation subsist on predominantly vegetable diet sweet potato staple. keep pig herds considerable size. hand creatures, together other items wealth such seashells cosmetic off, around one another interminable series ceremonial exchanges, mark all important social events. These transactions significant force maintenance order fiercely egalitarian, acephalous society. Their supernatural conceptions center beliefs ability ancestors' spirits cause sickness death, various forest spirit forces, others' powers sorcery poison. High annual rainfall seasonally uniform tropical temperatures characterize southwestern region, dictating over Highlands, modified local controls. seasonal shift north south thermal equator, associated positional changes southerly subtropical anticyclone centers northerly monsoonal wind system, principal controls (Curry Armstrong 1959). variation nearly everywhere. humidity cloudiness predictably combination high temperature. There alternation direction prevailing winds northwest monsoons southeast trades; patterns being consistent, strong rarely violent (see Hounam 1951; Howlett 1967:36-41; Brookfield Hart 1971:4-21 more detailed overviews). Lower Montane Humid type (according classification scheme McAlpine 1983:160). It characterized rainfall, absence soil moisture, droughts, cool due moderating altitude, relative any seasonality (Fitzpatrick 1965). Occasionally serious occur potentially supply. FROST Frost dramatic instance disturbance. hazard commonly equatorial regions, it possibility at higher altitudes (Brown Powell 1973, 1974; Waddell 1975). …