Paper short abstract:

Tensions arise for those who are left behind when someone dies in the Diaspora. We discuss several cases of diasporic death among PNG Highlanders and reflect upon the transactions their kin engage in, not only regarding the bodies of the dead, but also their post mortem 'lives'.

Paper long abstract:

The spacio-temporal movement from life to death causes particular tensions among the living in the case of diasporic death. Territorial movements among Papua New Guineans across clan, provincial, and national borders, means that people are increasingly facing the prospect of dying 'out of place'. When someone dies among Melpa and Temboka speaking people of the Western Highlands, they say that the person has moved, not to the 'other side', but to the 'outside' (pena). Someone on the 'outside' is said to be able to see everything and know everything. In this paper, we explore the implications of passing to the 'outside' when far from home, whether elsewhere in PNG or transnationally. What are the tensions that arise for those who are left behind when someone dies in the Diaspora? What do the living do to resolve these tensions? We discuss a number of cases of diasporic death among PNG Highlanders and reflect upon transactions among the kin of those who have died, not only with regard to their bodies, but also with regard to problems presented by the post mortem 'lives' of those who are now 'outside'.

We argue that while a death 'out of place' presents challenges to the kin of the deceased, such deaths also offer opportunities for demonstrating responsiveness, a continuing commitment to a Highlander moral economy of care and to values that work to strengthen relational meshworks.