Ponapean Prestige Economy

modities produced for export and sold to obtain money with which to purchase clothing, hardware, and a variety of imported goods for which Ponape has become dependent upon the outside world since contact. The prestige economy involves the goods through which social approval and social status are gained; as in the case of subsistence goods, these are consumed locally, but they are shared with other households within the Section.2 Although, as might be expected, there is some overlapping, most goods fall clearly within one or another of these three categories as far as their primary function is concerned.3 The