FRAUGHT AGING AND FRAYED SOCIAL NETWORKS

Authors

Laura Zimmer-Tamakoshi, Anthropology Consultant, Retired from Truman State University

Abstract

This article looks at the challenges of aging in Gende society and why the Papua New Guinea government should consider a safety net for more vulnerable populations. It begins with an overview of how the Gende used their exchange system over many generations to deal with periods of extreme uncertainty and inequality. Investing in a moral economy that encouraged gender equality and expansive kin relations and obligations, the Gende weathered tribal warfare that drove them off their traditional lands long ago. Moving into sparsely populated mountains in what is now Madang Province, Gende became middlemen in trade routes connecting the North Coast with highlanders living in the central mountain valleys. The coming of missionaries and colonial officers in the 1930s upset the Gende’s advantageous position, which was further devastated by the Highlands Highway, which promoted development for their neighbors but not the Gende. High out-migration and unequal job situations and remittances resulted in the bachelorization of Gende society and generational strife. Mining operations have exacerbated inequality with younger men benefiting most. Big men are no more, and traditional exchanges that worked for everyone are now used by the wealthy to obtain greater land rights and power.

Recommended Citation

Zimmer-Tamakoshi, Laura (2023) "FRAUGHT AGING AND FRAYED SOCIAL NETWORKS," Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 46: No. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol46/iss1/4