Introduction

The culture of the Trobriand Island was well articulated by Brawsnlaw Malininowiski and Fransis Boas. The islanders speak the same language as they are cut from other by the sea; the practice of the Kula Ring is seen as one of the more important traditions within Trobriand life. The ring is the series of islands that men from different villages visit to trade small trinkets and goods with those of distant islands. Arm shells and shell necklaces are seen as small worthless trinkets to many early Europeans, but they help maintain contact and friendships in distant places. During times of Kula trade, any animosity or war with other villages or sub-clans are suspended in respect for this tradition.

The Trobriands observe several taboos such as eating certain foods be they animals and plants for both man and woman or either of the sexes. There is also prohibition in the use of water that is not from boreholes in the coral ridge and illness follows the person who breaks the taboos. If a woman of high ranking marries a man of lower ranking which is a taboo in itself, then all her cooking utensils, dishes, and drinking vessels must be separate from those of her husband or the husband must not eat her food as it is a taboo to her. This rank entitles possessions to certain ornaments which serve both as festive decorations and symbol. These can be shell discs which are worn by people of high ranking.

The natives of the islanders are totemic being divided into four clans with birds, animals, and plants. They are matrilineal and the maternal uncle has great influence over his nephew. Both genders have great influence over each other as women have the same right to marry or divorce.
The husband if they are not pleased with him. They are also allowed to pursue or reject partners at their will just like men. So they have wide freedom before marriage and this allows for more sexual relations among partners but once married the women are supposed to remain faithful to their husbands and infidelity/adultery attracts punishment. They live in villages forming clusters of several villages, some of these villages engage in fishing others go on with wood carving stone polishing shell-ornament making basketry.

There is also a form of exchange that involves inter-tribes which form the communities which inhabit the ring of islands. This form of exchange or trade sees one object move from one person to the other like a clock hand and also an object moving from this hand to the other in the opposite direction. Thus this form of trade sees that no one person keeps an article like ornament for long and so it keeps revolving. Every detail of the transaction is regulated and fixed by a set of traditional rules and convections. There are also some acts of magic and ceremonies accompanying this kind of exchange (Malinowski and Young, 1979). Therefore the Trobriands societies practice magic as a form of their religion. Every village sees only a few men take part in the exchange, this makes sure that every man occasionally receives the exchange commodities and passes it on to others. The exchange involves complex activities which have traditions and other cultural practices tied to it, it welds together a considerable number of times and embraces a vast number of complex activities, interconnected and playing into one another to make one organic whole (Bronislaw Malinoswki, MichaelW. Young 1979).

The community practice farming as a tradition for food and also fishing which comes after agriculture. Dering drought the community can hunt for food or even gather though it is not widely practiced (Malinowski and Young, 1979). Living within islands covered by sea, they often engage in barter trade with their neighboring communities. Thus they have a long tradition of seafaring voyages for trade with the neighboring communities, before these voyages are done there are ceremonies conducted at the sea shore to appease the spirits so as to avoid calamities in the journeys like storms and sea ranges.

Seasons have great influence in the life and activities of the islanders who in dry season when they have their harvest engage in festivals and dances and do not do much work in the gardens and other places. During this time there are several visits made to enhance relationships, men apply paint to their faces. The women also decorate themselves for the occasion. This festive season is followed by intense garden making season where bush is cleared, burned off, cleaned and fenced round, and yams are planted which form their main dish. During this season people gather for communal work, and are paid by food. As the garden work ceases trading season sets in and the community is filled with people from overseas who are the tribesmen of this society, the main trade items are the armlets made of conus shells and long neck lets of red discs.
The Trobriand belief in the power of magic and is widely practiced. All their practices like gardening, fishing, trading, house making, sailing and yam storing are closely connected with complex magic systems. The traditional magicians are honored and important in the community and they are treated just like the village chiefs. Magic spell can be breathed into a leaf or a substance that is brought into contact with the person intended or can just be utterance of words. Sorcery is a major form of magic practiced. The cause of disease or illness is believed to be caused by evil spirits; the evil female witches who are known to fly without being seen are believed to cause diseases and death to people by removing or causing injury to internal body organs. The spirits of the dead are not feared and they are believed to appear to people at some times.