[Mihalic] New terms from Harvesting Development

[Lise Dobrin]

For what it's worth, I am familiar with most of these from the Sepik 
coast: boskru with that meaning (generously extended to anyone 
sitting up front), kaibar with that meaning, and bata or batafrut, 
"butterfruit", with that meaning. I know my Orokaiva speaking 
(American) husband also had batafrut in Oro Province where he worked.

The only uses of nuspes I heard were much more general, referring to 
the physical features or appearance of people and especially game: 
"nose-face". One can hypothesize a metaphorical shift from that to a 
customary payment recognizing the contribution of something, like 
blood, from the mother's lain. But I guess we'd have to speak to the 
ethnographer to know more.

Lise

>Here are some new terms from a book passing through my hands: 
>"Harvesting Development: The Construction of Fresh Food Markets in 
>Papua New Guinea" by Karl Benediktsson (University of Michigan 
>Press, 2002).  Phrases taken from glossary on pp. 277-280
>
>beksaitbun: "customary payment by husband's kin to wife's kin" (Is 
>this specific to Eastern Highlands Province, where Benediktsson did 
>his research? What is the significance of this word?)
>
>boskru: meaning broadened from standard to include truck or PMV 
>driver's assistant
>
>kaibar: "food bar"
>
>kopimasin: coffee pulping machine
>
>maket raun: "mobile market"
>
>nuspes: "customary payment by husband's kin to wife's kin" (Is this 
>specific to EHP?  What is the etymology?)
>
>bata: avocado
>
>wel karuka: Pandanus brosimos


--
Dr. Lise M. Dobrin
University of Virginia
Department of Anthropology
Brooks Hall-PO Box 400120
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4120
434-924-3536
dobrin at virginia.edu
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