The Gift of Lah-Suk: The Traditional Practice of the Konyak Tribe of the Tobu Area.

As the title indicates, the present work is to analyze and understand the traditional practice of gift-giving among the Konyak of the Tobu area. In recent years, many changes have taken place in the social and cultural front that resulted in the giving up of traditional practices such as animism, tattooing, etc. However, the tradition of gift-giving is among the few that have survived among the people. Gift-giving is an intriguing and universal practice found in all societies which are still yet to be interpreted by social scientists and anthropologists have always been fascinated by it. The value of gift-giving usually reflects the weight of a relationship. The value of gift-giving can be balanced with respect to the social positions of both the donor and recipients. It is a practice that integrates a society and this practice can be seen among the people of the Konyak tribe. The gift locally known as lah-suk is a pig thigh. It is usually given to the woman of one's family who is already married to another man from a different family. The problem is thus to understand how this practice of gift-giving has its place in the Konyak society. The goal is to understand the paradigm of such practice by applying the method of observation and interview and by supplementing it with secondary sources. The result of this study is the discovery of its importance in relation to marriage and family, and the position of women in contemporary Konyak society. By studying the traditional practice and tampering with the anthropological perspective, one's own understanding can be enriched in the understanding of the gift-giving practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]