Uncultural Behavior: An Anthropological Investigation of Suicide in the Southern Philippines (Monographs of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, English-Language Series)

329 Pages·2006·2.57 MB·English

by  Charles J-h Macdonald

ANTHROPOLOGY / SOUTHEAST ASIA
Until recently the people of Kulbi-Kenipaqan lived on the fringes of the mod-
ern world following traditional customs and beliefs, practicing shifting agri-
culture, and leading an outwardly peaceful existence in a remote corner of
Palawan island. Yet this small community, basically indistinguishable in society U
UNCULTURAL BEHAVIOR
and culture from its immediate neighbors to the north, has one of the highest
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rates of suicide in the world. Why would the comparatively happy and well-off
inhabitants of Kulbi fall victim to despair? Uncultural Behavior investigates the C An Anthropological Investigation of Suicide
mystery of self-infl icted death among this nonviolent and orderly people in the
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in the Southern Philippines
Southern Philippines.
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T
To make sense of such a phenomenon, Charles Macdonald probes the beliefs,
customs, and general disposition of this Palawan people, exploring how they U
live, think, behave, and relate to one another. Early chapters examine group R
formation and the spatialization of social ties, material culture, marriage, and
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law, providing an extensive ethnographic account of the Kulbi way of life. Th e
author off ers insights into the spiritual world of the community and addresses L
the local theory of emotions and the words that supply the vocabulary and
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idiom of indigenous commentaries on suicide. A well-documented case study
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of a suicide and its aftermath gives readers an idea of how Kulbi people treat
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suicide and their confl icting views on the subject. Following an analysis of
statistical information, the author presents fi ve “profi les,” bringing together A
motivations, actors, and circumstances. He concludes by examining the per-
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spectives of neurobiology and genetics as well as psychology, sociology, and
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history.
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Based on fi eldwork spanning three decades, Uncultural Behavior aff ords a R
new look at the phenomenon of suicide that will be of interest to Philippinists,
Asianists, social anthropologists concerned with comparative and theoretical
issues, ethno-psychologists, and all students of suicidal behavior.
C J-H M is a social anthropologist specializing in the Philip- M
pines and Southeast Asia and a senior research fellow with the French national
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center for scientifi c research (CNRS). He has also been associated with the c
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University of Oxford, the University of Kyoto, the International Institute for o
n
Asian Studies in Leiden, and the Asia Research Institute in Singapore.
a
l
d
Cover design by Santos Barbasa Jr.
Charles J-H Macdonald
U  H‘ P
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822-1888
www.uhpress.hawaii.edu
monographs of the center for southeast asian studies,
kyoto university,
english-language series, no. 21
Uncultural Behavior
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monographs of the center for southeast asian studies,
kyoto university,
english-language series, no. 21
Uncultural Behavior
An Anthropological Investigation of
Suicide in the Southern Philippines
Charles J-H Macdonald
university of hawai‘i press
Honolulu
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The publication of this book was fi nanced in part by a
Grant-in-Aid for Publication of Scientifi c Research Results from
the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture of Japan.
©2007 University of Hawai‘i Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
12 11 10 09 08 07 6 5 4 3 2 1
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Macdonald, Charles J-H.
Uncultural behavior : an anthropological investigation of suicide
in the southern Philippines / Charles J-H Macdonald.
p. cm.—(Monographs of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University) (English-language series ; no. 21)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8248-3060-1 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8248-3060-1 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-0-8248-3103-5 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8248-3103-9 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Palawan (Philippine people) — Suicidal behavior. 2. Palawan (Philippine
people) — Psychology. 3. Palawan (Philippine people) — Social conditions.
4. Suicide — Philippines. 5. Ethnopsychology — Philippines.
6. Philippines — Religion. 7. Philippines — Social conditions. I. Title.
DS666.P34M23 2007
362.28089'992 — dc22
2006022266
University of Hawai‘i Press books are printed on acid-free paper
and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Council on Library Resources.
Designed by University of Hawai‘i Press Production Staff
Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc.
The map on the cover is part of the map of Asia by Cornelius de Jode, 1593
(reproduced courtesy of the Kobe City Museum).
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Contents
List of Illustrations vii
List of Tables ix
Acknowledgments xi
Transcription Notes xiii
Introduction 1
part one Palawan Culture and Society
1. The Kulbi-Kenipaqan River Basin and Its People 11
2. Material Culture and the Symbolic Structure of Everyday Life 36
3. Social Organization 61
4. The Spiritual World of the Kulbi People 91
5. Personhood, Emotions, and Moral Values 123
part two Suicide
6. Sumling’s Death 145
7. Suicide: Case Studies 167
8. Profi les in Suicide 198
9. The Anthropological Study of Suicide 224
1 0. Explaining Suicide: Concluding Remarks 254
Notes 269
References 289
Index 299
Plates follow page 146
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Illustrations
Maps
1. Study sites in Palawan, the Philippines 3
2. The Kulbi-Kenipaqan River basin, southern Palawan 22
Figures
1. Inland-coastal gradient 15
2. Age pyramid 20
3. Settlement types 23
4. Kinship diagram, Tegpen 26
5. Kinship diagram, Tegbituk 1989 27
6. Tegbituk core group in 1994 28
7. Tuking’s core group, 1976 30
8. Lilibuten in 1989 31
9. Genealogical chart, Lilibuten 1989 31
10. House design and fl oor plan 38
1 1. Diagram for the terms ugang, maman, and menak 64
12. The biras relationship 66
13. Settlement nucleus 75
1 4. Relationships between humans and spirits 122
1 5. Sumling and Durmin’s relatives 150
1 6. Related suicides, kin ties 178
17. Rentima’s kin 180
1 8. Multiple suicides, kinship diagram 192
19. Number of suicide cases per year in Kulbi 204
2 0. Male versus female suicide (88 cases) 206
21. Age curve (79 cases) 206
22. Male/female suicides per age (79 cases) 206
2 3. Male/female suicide per age range, 1978–1989 207
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viii iillustrations
2 4. Male/female suicide per age range, 1990–2001 207
2 5. Chart showing alleged causes or motivations 210
2 6. Case studies versus statistics 228
27. Distribution of suicide per age among the Maria 251
2 8. A ggression, stress, and related dimensions
in the anthropological interpretations of suicide 260
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Tables
1. 2002 census, Barangay Taburi 17
2. Population per settlement (partial data) 18
3. Population structure by age (1989) 19
4. Mortality rates (1989) 21
5. Mortality rates (2001) 21
6. Classifi cation of domestic animals 45
7. Types of reciprocity and circulation models 54
8. Price list (sample) 58
9. Yearly household income 59
1 0. Structure of basic emotions in Palawan 132
1 1. Suicides cases, main list 200
1 2. Yearly rates of suicide in Kulbi (per 100,000) 204
13. C omparative annual rates (per 100,000) for other
non-industrial and tribal peoples 205
1 4. Mortality rates for Kulbi 205
15. Methods used in committing suicide 208
16. Imputed motivations for 86 suicide cases 210
1 7. Social environment of suicide 211
18. D istribution of suicide cases per local group
from list of suicides 214
19. Distribution of cases per local group from sample
(benchmark study) and percentages per group 215
20. Distribution of major alleged motivations per age group 216
2 1. Male and female suicides per age group 217
2 2. Causes of suicide among the Maria 252
23. Comparative data on populations with high suicide rates 263
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