Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T16:34:52.505Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

11 - “We Don't Sell Our Daughters”: A Report on Money and Marriage Exchange in the Township of Larantuka (Flores, E. Indonesia)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2011

Stefan Dietrich
Affiliation:
University of Munich
Thomas Schweizer
Affiliation:
Universität zu Köln
Douglas R. White
Affiliation:
University of California, Irvine
Get access

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Talking about marriage, people in Larantuka often contrast their own practice with that in the Lamaholot culture of East Flores: Lamaholot people have bridewealth (bélis) and, therefore, “sell” their daughters, whereas in Larantuka this does not happen. Actually, at Larantuka marriages quite substantial sums of money are transferred to the parents of the bride, whereas in Lamaholot society prestations tend to take the form of valuables (tusks, textiles) with no money involved. What is more, within the asymmetric alliance system of Lamaholot society, bridewealth is reckoned as a debt, and it is paid “in such a way that several are settled simultaneously and in a chain; so that the payment travels in a circle and the debts of several lines are mutually canceled, making it unnecessary to secure actual goods for payment” (Barnes 1977: 151; cf. Graham 1991:153, 162–5; Kennedy 1955:47). In other words those who “sell” daughters do not use money, and transfer of goods may be only nominal. Those who do not “sell” daughters receive substantial sums of cash – in 1991, Rp. 500,000 was considered as common, Rp. 1,000,000 as rather frequent, and at one marriage Rp. 2,300,000 was involved (the sums corresponded to ca. U.S. $250, $500, and $1,150, respectively). In addition to the marriage cash payment and in preparation for the marriage itself, a simple though extensive exchange network (kumpo-kao), based again on cash, is activated.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×