Salvation Movements Among the Muyu-Papuas of West-Irian

Abstract

In my study of the Muyu-Papuas I have deliberately used the term salvation-movement for the movements to be found within this population group. It was not quite possible to call these movements typical religious movements or to identify them with terms which designate sub-types, such as messianistic or prophetic movements. In our analytic outlines, we call the purposes aimed at secular rather than religious. Naturally. it should be expected in this kind of society — with the still strong interweaving of the separate institutional aspects — that the means chosen for this are usually called religious by us. But many so-called religious movements are in my opinion comparable to the so-called social movements in more differentiated societies. As a general term, socio-cultural movement may be used. From that point of view, it would also be sensible and desirable to integrate the theories which have often been developed independently of each other.²⁾

The investigation among the Muyu Papuas was made in various periods in 1953, 1954 and 1955, owing to the opportunities Dr. Van Baal offered me in this respect. The results of the investigation can be found in Schoorl, 1957.