How is a Trobriand Cricket Match prepared?

Before the match, each team practices chants and dances to be performed at various times throughout the game. Each out is followed by a celebratory dance, choreographed by the opposing team. These dances often have special meaning, commenting on the prowess of the team, their superior skills, or mocking the other team.

Who studied among the Trobriand Islanders?

Bronisław Malinowski
The first anthropologist to study the Trobrianders was C. G. Seligman, who focused on the Massim people of mainland New Guinea. Seligman was followed a number of years later by his student, the Polish Bronisław Malinowski, who visited the islands during the First World War.

How is Trobriand Cricket different from the original British form?

It is contrasted by historical footage showing the British way of playing and various ideas appropriated from colonisation. The cricket the Trobriand Islanders play still uses a bat and a ball (although they are carved out of wood and each bat is different); players score runs, field and make outs.

Who founded ethnography?

Origins. Gerhard Friedrich Müller developed the concept of ethnography as a separate discipline whilst participating in the Second Kamchatka Expedition (1733–43) as a professor of history and geography.

What is Trobriand cricket?

Trobriand cricket refers to a unique version of the bat-and-ball sport cricket played by the Trobriand Islanders. They were first exposed to the game by Christian missionaries, who thought the game would discourage war among the natives.

What is the Trobriand cricket documentary about?

Trobriand Cricket: An Ingenious Response to Colonialism is an anthropological documentary about the unique innovations that the Trobriand Islanders have made to cricket.

How was cricket adapted to Trobriand culture?

However, the game was quickly adapted to Trobriand culture by expanding the number of players, adding dances and chanting, and modifying the bats and balls. Since war between groups on the island was banned, cricket began to incorporate many of the traditional practices associated with war for the Trobriand people.

Why is cricket so popular in Britain?

Cricket, one of Britain’s favorite sports, is a source of pride and a symbol of British culture; when missionaries came to New Guinea, they brought the game with them. While some islanders played the game according to British rules, this Western version of cricket was difficult and awkward for the Trobriands to play.