71trobcrick

As the title suggests, this film documents the transformation by the Trobriand Islanders of the game of cricket, first introduced by British missionaries, into a highly distinctive political ritual. Shot in 1973‑1974, shortly before the independence of Papua New Guinea, the film was made with the active co‑operation of the Kabisawali Movement, a local political organisation.

In the first half of the film Trobriand changes in cricket dress, bowling, batting, running and the all‑important team formation, are discussed by the Islanders. The purposes of playing are explained, as is the reason for the extensive use of 'cricket, dances and chants. It is important to emphasise that for present‑day Trobrianders the game of cricket is explicitly a kayasa, a competitive feast described fully by Malinowski in Coral Gardens in their Magic. The second half of the film presents a reconstruction of a game between two villages and the exchanges which follow it.

The film has been enthusiastically received by anthropologists, television audiences, film festivals and (most important, perhaps) by its Trobriand sponsors. However, much of the film's political dimension is related to the way in which it was made, the type of co‑operation between Trobriand sponsors and makers, and its role in Kabisawali propaganda, factors which are not explicitly part of the film's content. At times its attempt to present the game of 'Trobriand, cricket as an example of a response to colonial rule which is positive and political in character is lost because the film's subject‑matter is so entertaining. However, the film is able to show that response to alien rule can take many forms, some of which can have the effect, for the participants, of reinforcing their threatened culture. As Annette Weiner has pointed out (1977), 'The film dramatically communicates the message that the Trobriand version is not in any sense a "primitive" game nor is it a sport benignly accepted in its foreign form. Rather, Trobriand cricket is seen as sophisticated activity, thoughtfully and creatively adapted by the local people.'

E.R. Leach, 1975. Review of the film. RAIN, 9, p.6.

B. Malinowski, 1935. Coral Gardens and Their Magic. Vol.I. Allen and Unwin, London. (Especially pp.211‑213.)

H.A. Powell, 1952. 'Cricket in Kiriwinal. The Listener, September 4, pp 384‑385.

M. Watts and R. Whitburn, 1979. Papua New Guinea: The Trobriand Islanders. Educational pack in the Land and People series intended for 11‑13 year old children (RAI/ILEA project). Basil Blackwell, Oxford.

A.B. Weiner, 1977. Review of the film. American Anthropologist, Vol.79, pp 506‑507.

1978. 'Epistemology and Ethnographic Reality: A Trobriand Island Case Study'. American Anthropologist, Vol.80, pp‑752‑757.