The theme of work
The Kula are a well-organized tribe in the economic capacity. Every person works in order to achieve their basic needs. The commonest forms of work in the book include wood work where people make wood artefacts and also home utensils, fishing, farming, magic and basket production.
All of these forms of work were to the benefit of the society as a whole. For example, in farming, a man had to work hard and produce yams enough to grant to his in-laws. In addition to that, the in-laws of the chief have to produce a lot of yam and give it to him as a means of reinforcing his power for he would have a lot of food in comparison to his subjects.
Class System
The Trobriands and the Kula have a class system. This system determines the governance of the tribes. In the Trobriand society for example, class was formed as a result of physical beauty. The finer looking people were treated with respect and they ruled whereas the other people who were not as good looking were classified as the subjects of the good-looking ones.
The Kula’s class system was based on ancestry. The people all could trace an ancestor who they descended from. The clan whose ancestor was a great chief were considered of a higher class than those whose ancestor was a sorcerer.
Culture of the Kula
The anthropologist finds that the culture and ways of the Kula are still being practiced in West Papua. There have not been any changes to their way of life. Their culture is seen in the hereditary form of government, their customs such as marriage, and their social organization.
The Kula's marriage customs are that a ceremony need not be performed to mark the marriage of two people and chastity and faithfulness is not encouraged. The husband's and wives are not expected to be faithful to their partners for they are required to give sexual pleasure to guests.
The Kula have a hereditary form of government. A chief inherits his power and seat from his maternal uncle. Therefore, the community has a division between the royals who are part of the family of a chief and the commoners who are the local people and subjects of the chief.
