We can almost see the breadth of the river, the loneliness of trader and caboclo villages along the way, the danger of the rapids, the dwarfing of the Indian agency, the nastiness of the gnats. We are also able to get a sense of their daily lives, the struggle with language and communication, the challenges of distributing gifts and paying for food and services. We get to see first hand many of the difficulties and joys of this kind of fieldwork. But there may be another reason as well. The Murphys want us to know that their description is as accurate as possible, so they tell us how they obtained that information.
Any scientific inquiry requires that the methodology be spelled out, and fieldwork is no different.
Much of this chapter is meant to introduce the readers to the basic elements of fieldwork. Pay attention to some of the language used to describe different components of the fieldwork experience.