'The Last Magician '

After learning about the Trobriand of Papua New Guinea I am left with the sense of amazement and delight regarding their way of life. The misconception that cultures that are not modernized or westernized are primitive is sadly very common among persons that have not been exposed to these societies. Learning about their complex exchange system unveiled the Trobriand's sophistication and discovering what integral role women played made me, as a female, very intrigued and respectful of the culture.

The various facets that make up the Trobriand way of life are not only limited to the exchange system or the role that women play, but their spiritual beliefs play an integral role in defining who they are as a people. Unfortunately, as we have seen in The Last Magician, the introduction of western religion by the missionaries is slowly evolving who the Trobriand are. Converting to Christianity is of course, purely a voluntary decision. For those Trobriand who do decide to convert, such as chief Nalubutau, a message is being sent that their initial spiritual beliefs where insufficient and ineffective. For a Chief to make such a conversion, it must be that he was strongly convinced that his original beliefs were incorrect and it sends a loud message on the state of the Trobriand culture. In a sense, it shatters the backbone to their amazing culture.

One can't solely blame the missionaries for spreading their belief and educating people on their religion, because as stated before, it is one the Trobriand to decide whether he or she wants to convert. However, something that I found extremely disturbing about the film is the superiority and disdain the Priest had regarding Tuma. With this type pf attitude I don't believe that Trobriand spirituality and religion could co exist. To co exist would be to survive together as equals, and with the attitude exuded by the priest, he was proclaiming that his religion is not on the same level as the Trobriand spiritual beliefs, but that it's better. The missionaries must realize the expense of what they are doing to such an extraordinary culture. It would be essential for the missionaries to understand and respect Trobriand spirituality first, if they wanted to continue spreading their religion, without having such a devastating effect.

As seen in the video, the introduction of religion was but only one part of the influx of a modern, westernized way of life. John is set on directing the Trobianders toward a technological age with logging and with having commercial interests. His statement that he wanted to better the Trobriand is understandable, he hasn't seen on the potential effects it has on the culture. Deviating and potentially changing the way of life to a more modern one, leaves the traditional way of life in the dust. I believe the farther away John leads and entices the people into an easier and “better” way of life through technology and modernization, the harder it will be for the Trobrianders to balance tradition and modernity.

I find great respect for William's perseverance to keeping the Trobriand way of life traditional. He values his culture and sees the true beauty in it. An unlike John, he has no commercial interests and resists selling out his culture for the sake if business. His goals are straight, although hard to attain; however, since it is John who was next in line for Chiefdom, he has the ultimate say on where he wants to lead the Trobrianders.

This video was incredibly engaging and from an outsider perspective it is easy to point out how John could potentially ruin the traditional way of life, but one must respect and hope that his aim to improve the Trobriands is true and not out of greed because once it is changed, it will be almost impossible to revitalize it back to the traditional ways.

05/05/09
The movie “The Last Magician” is one of the most extraordinary movies I’ve seen. It is not only because of great details, sound and techniques but because of the truth and reality it expresses. This movie shows the reality and problem the Trobriand Island faces today. These types of movies help to solve issues raised by Trobriands, because of crying out spirit they carry they rarely leave a viewer as passive.

After viewing the movie “The Last Magician” I was stunned by ugly reality. Since I was little I always imagined far away deserted island with a beautiful nature, clear water, lots of trees, a place clean and untouched by big world. No doubt Trobriand Island was like that many years ago, before it was discovered by civilized world. Today it is shown as over populated, dirty and polluted place. As I was viewing the film I kept noticing garbage, someone threw a can, plastic bags, symbols with Coca Cola, etc. All this presents the influence of Western culture, people from Trobriand Islands quickly adapted their lives and views to a new Western culture. This video inspires me to find new solutions to preserve the island, save people and nature. I believe if before people and nature lived in a harmony why not can’t it be achieved today?

Western society brought immediate changes into the culture of the Trobriands. First of all it introduced savages to a religion, I don’t have anything against belief in God but if people are forced into accepting religion for a profitable purpose it is dishonorable. Just like William says, people are preserved with 50 different religious denominations; everyone is confused which one to accept and which one is true. Introduction of religion forever changed the traditional spirituality of Trobriands, religion and magic cannot exist together. Trobriands practiced magic in almost every area of their lives, today these rules are changed and therefore their culture is quickly fading away. A good example is chief Malubutau, this great man had faced the transformation of his people into a new society, he was devastated by the changes which created a great misbalance in almost every area in a Trobriand life. Youth studied and lived in cities, but when they couldn’t find jobs they would come back in villages they wouldn’t know the way of traditional farming. Having nothing to do they would hang around causing trouble among villagers. Just like William he believed in a traditional farming and sticking to old ways of customs and traditions, he knew this way is an old and checked way of living a safe well-preserved life. He accepted Christianity out of influence from his people that already accepted Christianity and out of confusion over his views where to go after death. Missionaries did a good job on bringing souls to God but on the other hand they destroyed their culture. Because of conflicting characteristics of religion and traditional magic now Trobriand people have two choices, to accept Christianity and abandon traditional spirituality or vice versa.

As John and William tried to solve the issue of changing culture none was successful. William with idea to go back to a traditional way of living isn’t realistic because of an impact the Western society already made on them, no youth wants to be attached to old ways. They want to live comfortable and educated lives. Also practicing traditional spirituality is impossible because of changes the church had brought in people’s minds. As of John’s ideas, they seemed more realistic because of new ideas and technologies, opportunities to wealth. Unfortunately his plan is short lived, supply of trees in island would not satisfy the needs for a modern life and also it would destroy the biodiversity of the forest. Today as a chief John would be better off by proposing to his people a new way of farming using modern technologies and methods, in that way they can sell the crops for a profit. My message to John and William would be a proposition of combining their ideas into one. William’s idea of preserving the land and people’s ability of farming and John’s idea of applying the principles of business into a profit making.

I believe Trobriand society has an opportunity to raise their life quality. They already perfected the art of adaptation, now they need to learn what they need to keep and what they should discard. For example, learning business strategies would help them to see the world’s market demands. Thus based on those demands they can make decisions what to produce in farming in order to make a good profit thus be stable financially. This Island has a great climate for producing many crops, and also fishing, shrimp farms are brilliant ideas. Using technology in farming is another good idea, this would increase productivity and will make their labor less brutal. Since it is impossible to go back to old ways Trobriands need to seek for new ways to improve their lives.

The Trobriand Islands are a very magical place. I find the culture fascinating. They have their own way of life that for a long time remained true to their traditions and culture. I think the most fascinating thing for me is how different their culture is to our own. It’s very refreshing. I was very sad when they starting taking more aspects of the western culture as their own.

I believe that the religions and traditional beliefs can coexist, but with difficulty. I feel that it was horrible of the missionaries to force their religions on the Trobrainders. They had no right in my opinion. They should have just allowed the Trobrainds to continue with their traditional beliefs and just observed. The priest relegating Tuma to a museum really upset me. He had no right to do that. It was not his place to tell the Trobriands that their version of where they go after death was no longer valid and real. I am still wondering whether Nalubutau was actually happy with the decision he made to convert to Christianity. He appeared very upset after the baptism had taken place. It is true that no one was physically forcing him to convert, but they way he acted afterward proved that he really wasn’t happy with the idea. I noticed how upset he really was watching the movie for a second time. I think the laid down his magic and traditions because that is what he felt was happening everywhere, and he still wanted the respect of the people after he died. By doing this though, he ended a lot of the traditions of his culture.

I feel it is very important for women to continue on with their wealth. This is what really created a place for women in the politics and the economics of the society. A lot of cultures aren’t like this one, where the women are just as important as the men. If their wealth disappears, then women may lose their value to others. This also stops the sagali and other important aspects of their culture.

I don’t think William was very successful in his persuasion for everyone to return to traditional ways. There was no way to turn back after they had moved so far forward. The Trobrands loved the roads and cars and hospitals and technology that the western culture brought them. There was a way to make their lives a little more traditional by keeping some traditions alive, but there was no way to turn back completely. They should just combine the modernism and the traditions. I think John has been able to stay a modern chief. This is where the culture is heading, and he was happy to be involved in it. There is no way to stay completely modern though. He must have had to resort to the past traditions every once in a while at the least. I hope that he has been able to combine the two, because in my opinion, that is the best thing to do. I don’t think that John has learned magic. I think he was ready to let the magic go with his Uncle, and not look back. I would say that they should both learn to compromise between the traditions and the present technology.

I think the magic can be revitalized, but I don’t think it will be. Since most of the trobriands are of another religion, magic isn’t as important to them. They don’t need to use it, so why learn? It’s a horrible way to think, but I feel that is the approach. I think that the Trobranders can adapt to both the past and the present, but I fear as time goes on, they will just lean more towards the technology and western culture, and will eventually forget about their traditions. I believe, as the title of the film states, that Nalubutau was the last magician, and that tradition is now gone.

The Trobriand Islands were an inspiration to me because of their presentation as a strong, traditional, and change-resistant culture. They are no longer quite as special because they are on their way through a conversion to Western culture, and I do not think that they will be able to mediate with the economy of the west or adapt it to suit both their needs and the rest of the world’s.

Traditional spiritual beliefs cannot coexist with religion when religion is led by people of non-native origin. This is because they are not sensitive to the traditional beliefs, and they do not try to find any medium between the two. Successful religions are not tolerant of belief in any controlling power except their own god(s). Religion seeks converts, and with non-natives leading the way, they will not settle for anything less than complete conversion of the island. Perhaps with people who have both traditional and Western education they will be able to find a medium, and maybe even a modification, such as they have done with the game of cricket.

Without women’s traditional currency and economic independence, women will lose a great deal of political influence, and the balance of economic resources would be completely thrown. Women’s wealth has such influence over men’s that, suddenly, it would not be nearly as expensive to deal with things like burial and mortuary ceremonies. There would probably be some inflation in order to restore balance, and they would end up back at the beginning. It will also make everyone completely dependent on the Western cash economy, and as the video showed, the market is not readily available to help them out. The markets that have been expressed as available seem to be the most destructive ones, such as logging.

The positions of John and William were portrayed as starkly as black and white. Their roles, in this manner, work to slow the changes, and hopefully to find the halfway point. It is not possible for the people to go back to the completely traditional way of life, especially in farming. For one thing, having Western education will negatively influence learning of the traditional one. People will learn the western farming techniques, which generally include much bigger and more plots of land than seem to be available. The personal ownership of land would get in the way of progress here. Additionally, once people have a taste of the technologies that can either improve their quality of life or provide entertainment, they will not want to give it up. I do not blame them; I would have liked that they kept a traditional lifestyle, and maybe I could have visited it someday, but it is not fair that they should be kept primitive and be toured and visited like a zoo.

I would like that they find a way to keep both worlds alive. This is probably not fair to ask of them, either, since it would be an excess amount of work to live two lives; but if they want to put the traditions in a museum, it should be an active and working museum. Artifacts are okay when they are speculated upon behind glass walls, but here, there is a chance to keep items and actions in context. There is no speculation, and there is less loss of detail (considering that some detail has already been lost).

Magic in the Trobriand Islands can not be revitalized to the extent that it once was, even with the book of magic. Religion is a tenacious bugger; even if the missionaries are removed from the islands, they have left their mark, and will not be forgotten. I think that the best that can be done for the revitalization of magic is to put it in the living museum.

The Last Magician

After seeing the movie The Last Magician I have several thoughts about life on the Trobriand Islands. I thoroughly enjoy how the people there seem to get along and, with the exception of a few people, seem to try to make decisions as a group so that all the people can be happy. I think that it is incredible that the Trobriand Islanders have been able to come so far in a world where everyone wants to change other people onto something that matches their own ideas of how life should e lived. I think the best example of this is how the Trobrianders were able to take Cricket, a very European game, and make something that was their own and was able to fit in to their culture.

Although I enjoyed this fill very much thought out the entire movie I was frustrated with many of the outcomes of the people. The main thing that I struggled with throughout the film was the arguments of William and John K. On one hand I understand why John K. is trying to bring more technologies to his people. At some points in the film John seemed to genuinely care about the well fare of his people and wanted to give them more power by providing them with access to the outside knowledge and development. This I found very appealing, however, I felt that for the majority of the film John did not care about the people at all. All he seemed to be interested in is making money and “bettering” himself.

Not only did I have reservations about John K., I also had some problems with William. I felt that his arguments for going back to traditional life were valid until he began convincing everyone that absolutely no growth as the best way to live. I think that it might be possible for the Trobrianders to find some kind of happy medium between total development and completely traditional life ways. I feel that going completely in one direction will ultimately lead to the destruction of their culture.

If I could tell John K. and William one thing I think it would be for them both to open their eyes to compromise. I think that both men are very smart, and even if their goals are only to better themselves and not the community, they may still be able to find a way to bring in new change and new technologies without completely degrading their traditions of the land.

Another one of my major struggles with this film was how religion has moved into the lives of the Trobrianders. I have a very hard time believing that two religions can work simultaneously together. I feel that one religion will always be trying to top the other by having more followers than the other group. I think that this is especially true in the Trobriand Islands where two religions/beliefs from opposite ends of the spectrum are trying to coexist. I feel that this was made especially clear when ‘Nalubatau was told by the priest that Tuma should be put into a museum. How is it possible to have two religions coexist when one’s sacred place is “in a museum”?

I believe that ‘Nalubatau’s decision to be baptized was extremely detrimental to the magic in the Trobriand Islands. I think that because he was such a well know chief, especially for his magic, he has made himself the example that there is a flaw in the Trobriand belief system. If he does not feel that his magic will protect him then why would anyone else? I think that his actions showed that the culture of the Trobriand people might not be able to stand up to the force of the modern world.


- I think that it is very important that the Trobriand women maintain their wealth. I believe that this gives them a great deal of power and it also gives them a very important place in the Trobriand society. I think that if the women’s wealth continues to be eroded there will be a culture with very depressed women. I think that the collection of wealth gives the women a great since of pride and when that is removed there will be a major problem.

The Trobriand Islands are a fascinating place. They are filled with mystic, magic, beauty, and intrigue. This place inspires me because of they way their society builds their entire lifestyle on yams. Yams provide many things in Trobriand society. Yams may provide security; wealth, kinship and status just to name a few. The Trobriand Islands contain over 50 different religions. Each religion has its own doctrines and philosophies. Hence, I do not believe traditional spiritual beliefs and religion can co-exist because they are different entities. They are polar opposites that may have ideas too foreign to mix. If I had a message to the missionaries, it would be to allow the people to test out the new religion for themselves and allow each individual decide their religion for themselves.

Moreover, since the Trobriand Islands are a matrilineal society, women have a very important role in society and it is important that they maintain their economic independence. They need to continue to create their own wealth so that they can establish a strong legacy for their family and future generations to come.

The two men displayed in the film, William and John, have two very different ideas of how Trobriand society should evolve. Although William argues that Trobrianders should go back to their traditional way of life, he too is a product of technology. The film illustrates that he rides in planes and wears collar shirts rather than traditional Trobriand attire. On the other hand, John is very passionate about bringing technology to the Trobriand Islands, but at times to me he seems confused as to how much is too much. It seems as though he too struggles with how he wants to bring hospitals, schools and roads to the Island. It is my belief that Trobrianders hang on to their traditional way of life by not losing their customs such as lisaladabu and kula. However, I also think that hospitals, schools and roads can benefit their society.

As I mentioned before, magic is very important in Trobriand society. Magic and sorcery go hand in hand. Hence, I think it is possible to revitalize magic in the Trobriand Islands. Trobrianders have believed in and practiced magic for decades. I believe that their magic has been set in stone and that their magic helps to define their culture. Of course, I do believe that over time their magic will change because some may forget the spells/chants or those who know the chants may die. This will cause their society to lose some of their magic.

It is true that Trobrianders have “perfected the art of adoption.” Their culture is a culture of both kinship and adoption. I cannot say if they will or will not embrace the unstainable living in the modern world. From what I’ve studied, people in Trobriand culture have a great work ethic. Hence, they have everything they need to survive in the modern world. For this to work, they must be willing to transform as a people and stay together to ensure the traditions and values that define them do not become extinct.

What inspires me most about the Trobriand Islands is it’s resistance to negative outside forces. For as long as external forces have been intruding on the island and its people the Trobriand Islands have always bounced back and have been able to retain their traditional ways. Unfortunately that resistance is quickly being chipped away. According to William the major erosion factor of the traditional way is the Christian church. The missionaries are converting the trobrianders and telling them to leave Tuma to the museums. Christianity (and its missionaries) has never been compatible and accepting of other traditional beliefs that stray from those of the bible. Christianity is making the people of the Trobriand Islands afraid and as a result more and more people are converting for fear of going to hell. I do not believe that as long as the missionaries are present on the island and actively converting people that the traditional trobriand beliefs can survive. My message to the missionaries is to show respect to their traditional beliefs and to only bring up Christianity as a choice to be made freely and not under duress. Perhaps if the trobrianders were given a chance to meld the two together and entirely new belief system would from that would be unique to them (in a similar fashion to how they made cricket their own). Although in the film “the last magician” women’s wealth isn’t discussed I believe that without it the trobrianders will have to rely more heavily on a lifestyle of working for money that strays from the self sufficiency that they have enjoyed in the past. I believe that William has been very rational, thoughtful, and correct with his message to go back to the old ways but unfortunately I don’t believe is can be a reality. Presently, the trobrianders are already in the middle of a new way of life that exists on the making of money. John has embraced the idea of making money and exploiting the islands which discourages the traditional way of life (or more so prevents it). John has made decisions that will/do affect his people whether or not he has their support. John appears to have little room in his life for the magic of his people. My message to john is that he should stop making decisions based on making money but rather what will help his culture and people to survive in the manner that would make his uncle proud. And my message to William is to continue spreading his vision of a “tribal modern people.” I believe that as long as there are people like William to root for the traditional ways magic will continue to be an important part of the trobrianders way of life. However, this prospect is highly dependent upon the future leaders of the trobrianders. The only way to live in the modern world and to exist as a united people the trobrianders must realize the limitations of their island and realize that their method of self sufficiency has worked for hundreds of years for a reason.

Learning about the Trobriand Islanders has made a significant impact on how I view the western cultures expansion on outsiders. It makes me so sad to watch how these tribes have had their traditions around for so long, and western expansion as begin to take hold of these traditions and knock them down as though they are only foolishness. I do understand however, that as some of the adolescents of the Trobriand tribes leave the islands to become more educated have come back with the knowledge of better technology and a better way to profit from their land, but I do not think that this should effect in any way how their traditions have come to be known and passed down for generations.
As Chief Nalubatau faces death, he still questions were he will go after death. He was brought up with the original traditions of resting in Tuma and not in Heaven, but no with so many other religions beginning to show their faces in the Trobriand Islands, the Chief now questions where is final resting place will be. I completely think that traditional spiritual beliefs should be upheld and kept sacred. If members of the tribe want to intertwine another religion such a Christianity, I also believe that is possible but to only a certain extent. If they begin to consume their lives with new religions such as Christianity, they will begin to lose their traditional beliefs and as time goes on, those traditional spiritual beliefs will be lost.
Now that Chief Nalabatua has passed and his nephew John as began his reign, things have started to change. John consistently was arguing with other tribe members about how he would like to see his tribe evolve and except new traditions and new technology. On the other hand, William, a member of another tribe, feuded with John over his thoughts of losing their traditions passed on by so many past generations. He told people that they needed to hang on to their old traditions and ways of life because they would soon be lost if things continued to change. As John embraces new traditions and technology I think he will lose sight of how he got to where he was and the things he learned from his childhood. He might never know the true meaning of magic is his lifetime. He has never had the full experience and lifestyle of growing up and staying on the islands. Though I do think that the tribe should take in a few things from John’s experiences outside the tribe, including anything that can help their tribe strive, health wise especially. John may attempting to embrace his tribe’s traditions but with some slight hesitation. John has a hard time listening to his Uncle’s “dictating ways”, as he calls it, he wants to do things his way and doesn’t want his uncle to critique his ideas. It doesn’t seem to me like all of the people of John’s tribe have accepted the way he is changing things. Many members of the tribe don’t think it is in their best interest to embrace the outside world with such open arms. They are angry that he wants to continue logging and cutting down their forests for profit. He has already taken all of their sea cucumbers and sold them to restaurants for profit. Some say that he is taking advantage of land that is not rightfully his. I understand their hesitation completely. Members of the tribe who have not had the opportunity to travel outside the islands don’t have any experience of the outside world and other cultures. The witness their young tribe members returning from other places and only see the way the outside world has affected them in a negative way. Chief Nalabatua explains that when the members return back to the islands from getting their education in other places, they do not know how to interact and work on the islands or within their tribe. They come back not knowing how to work in the gardens, and how to make a profit on their islands.
Another aspect of the tribe that is being lost in future generations is the tribe’s practice of magic. Chief Nalabatua was best known for and honored for his wisdom and knowledge of magic. I idea of the magic in the tribes being revitalized may be far fetch. It is sad to think it, but I don’t believe that the effect of magic will ever make as strong of an impact as it did in the past. As beliefs and knowledge of magic are continually questioned, these beliefs will no longer exist in generations to come. As John attempts to relate to his tribe members, his lack of knowledge and belief of magic will begin to affect his relationships with other members, and he might not be able to relate to them as much as past chiefs have.
In the end, it is true that the Trobrianders are masters of adaption. With this thought I do believe that they can survive the ideas of the outside world. But it will come with its consequences. As older generations pass on, the newer generations will begin to lose sight and ideas of how their tribe used to be. The ideas of magic will slowly deteriorate and their religious beliefs will continue to be questioned. This film as shined a great light on the idea of western culture making an impact on the rest of the world, especially small tribes such as the Trobriand Islands. It has opened my eyes to other cultures, and how they all have their own beliefs and they should stay intact, so that future generations will know where their traditions came from and they can experience the true meanings and beliefs of their tribes. Thank you for sharing this film with students like myself, and letting us experience and witness the ongoing battle that cultures are dealing with daily to keep their tribes traditions alive.