POSSESSION AND TRANCE IN CHUUK

This article describes and analyzes some 40 case reports of contempora ry spirit possession in Chuuk. The possession-trance complex of today shows continuity with distinct features of the now defunct status of t he medium (waanaanu): trance, calling the spirits of deceased kin, and spirits descending and addressing the assembled kin-folk. through the changed voice of the host. But recent spirit possession is not posses sion-trance on demand; it is spontaneous and sudden, arising from the felt stress of the individual. Family problems are the focus of today' s cases. We view the possession-trance complex as culturally sanctione d communication of prohibited expression about family and kinship prob lems. As a response to stress, cases of female possession appear posit ively functional when compared with male drinking. Contemporary Chuuk possession-trance is, therefore, a remarkable adaptation of former way s applied to new situations, functioning as a kind of family therapy.