Exchange, Time, and Person in Mayotte: The Structure and Destructuring of a Cultural System

This article describes an unusual system of ceremonial exchange found among Malagasy speakers on the island of Mayotte (Comoro Archipelago) and demonstrates the manner in which the person as citizen, the experience of aging, and ultimately society itself were constituted through it. The forces leading to the demise of the system and the manner in which the disarticulation of exchange obligations L being managed are described. The article portrays the holistic social world and experience created through participation in the exchange system, providing an implicit contrast with the more fragmented world that follows its dismantling.