They were no strangers to the Sepik. Mead previously worked among the Mundugumor and Tchambuli, and Bateson did likewise among the Iatmul, an exuberant fishing-horticultural people spread across some 25 large, prosperous middle Sepik villages. Tambunum today remains a beautiful, vibrant, and prosperous village of 1000 people residing in 120 enormous and elaborately embellished houses. But changes are myriad. Dugout canoes are fitted with outboard motors.
Children attend school.
The all-male ceremonial house that once towered above the palms was destroyed during WWII, suspending male initiation. There is steady traffic between the village and urban centers where Iatmul work as teachers, store clerks, policemen, lawyers, soldiers, hotel waitresses, and civil servants. Yet modernity has not eclipsed tradition. Small male sanctuaries exist for ceremonial preparations, relaxation, and political debates. And Tambunum, once a regional trade nexus, is now the leading tourist emporium of the Sepik, complete with a guesthouse.