Central Carolinian Oral Narratives: Indigenous Migration Theories and Principles of Order and Rank

Alkire, William H. (05-1984). "Central Carolinian Oral Narratives: Indigenous Migration Theories and Principles of Order and Rank". Pacific Studies. 07 (2): 1–14.

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Abstract: "...there is a body of evidence that demonstrates that Carolinian oral narratives and traditions are frequently structured so that they incorporate important cultural themes, elements, and principles. Examples of these include a focus on sibling-sets and on quadripartite divisions or tetradic groupings. Most important to this paper, however, are the narrative consequences of a cultural emphasis on status and rank and the direct relationship these variables have to seniority and priority of settlement. Regardless of the actual historical order of settlement on these is- lands, when a socioeconomic system linking various islands became established and differential rank within and among the islands became an important part of that system, then it became obligatory for the tradition- al charters--i.e., myths and legends--to be tailored to conform to the principle that populations of lower ranking islands were derived from the is- lands of higher rank and that clans of lower rank must have arrived after clans of higher rank. This suggests that oral narratives from this area of Micronesia can only be used with extreme caution in reconstructing cultural history. This conclusion agrees with those of writers who have examined similar problems in other areas of Oceania."

Extra details:

MAG: 2603000411
OpenAlex: W2603000411
CorpusID: 164617303