Tsembaga Maring are a group of
horticulturists
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
who live in the highlands of
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...
. They have been extensively studied by
ethnographers, the foremost of which is
Roy Rappaport
Roy A. Rappaport (1926–1997) was an American anthropologist known for his contributions to the anthropological study of ritual and to ecological anthropology.
Biography
Rappaport received his Ph.D. at Columbia University and held a tenured po ...
.
Background
The study done in the Maring community of Papua New Guinea by Roy A. Rappaport during 1962 and 1963 is a good illustration of the bush fallow system of subsistence farming.
Ethnographies
Rappaport conducted research on the Maring in the 1960s, publishing his work in a book entitled ''
Pigs for the Ancestors
The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...
''.
Lifestyle
The Maring are known for a special pattern of farming, hoarding of pigs, and warfare. Warfare usually proceeds after a ritual pig feast, known as kaiko.
External links
Ritual and self-regulation of the Tsembaga Maring ecosystem in the New Guinea highlands
Ethnic groups in Papua New Guinea
Tribes of Oceania
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