The bamboo fire
Subtitle: field work with the New Guinea Wape
By: William E. Mitchell
Edition: 2nd ed.
Publisher: Transaction Publishers
Published: 2012
Place of publication: New Brunswick, U.S.A
Language: eng
Number of pages: 302
ISBN-13: 9781412842556
Subjects: Wape (Papua New Guinean people)
Description: "The Wape of New Guinea live in a mountainous tropical forest habitat. They are slash and burn horticulturalists and reside in sedentary villages. Marriage is by bride wealth and polygyny is permitted but rare. The society is egalitarian in terms of male status and, although the society is hierarchical in terms of sex and age differences, both women and the young enjoy higher status than in many other New Guinea societies. While most Wape are nominal Christians, traditional religious beliefs and practices are of major importance. This book concentrates on describing the field work process. It gives the reader a feeling of the reflexive nature of the field work experience; to demonstrate not only how the anthropologist proceeds in her or his work, but to describe the social and psychological context in which that work evolves and how anthropologists respond to it both within oneself and in communication with others. It is not so much a book about the Wape people as it is about how one anthropologist tried to understand them. It integrates the subjective and objective into a common research method."--Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: The first sparks; title: The search; title: A home in the forest; title: A time before; title: Phases and feelings; title: The ballad of Epilo and Pauwis; title: The dangerous desire; title: Guns, ghosts, and goodness; title: Madness and the mother monster; title: Flying blind; title: High hopes and blighted dreams; title: The night of the seven days; title: Embers and ashes.