The Gebusi: Lives Transformed in a Rainforest World » (2nd Edition)

Bruce Knauft is Samuel C. Dobbs Professor of Anthropology and Executive Director of the Institute of Critical International Studies at Emory University in Atlanta. He has taught a broad range of students, including many who have gone on to conduct anthropological fieldwork in diverse world areas. Author of seven books and numerous journal articles and chapters, Professor Knauft has written extensively on topics and issues in cultural anthropology. He has been interested in the Gebusi people of Papua New Guinea since his first fieldwork among them in 1980–82.

Written specifically for students, this ethnography provides an engaging, real-life account of the transition from a traditional to a modern culture. It uses vibrant personal stories and ethnographic examples to connect developments among the Gebusi of Papua New Guinea to key topics in cultural anthropology, including comparative features of subsistence, kinship, politics, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationalism, and modern development. In the early 1980s, the Gebusi conducted ritual dances and spirit seances, practiced alternative sexual customs, and endured high rate of violence. By 1998, most Gebusi had converted to Christianity and were actively engaged in market activity, disco music, sports leagues, and school. In 2008, however, public services and the cash economy had deteriorated, and people relied increasingly on their traditional customs and practices.

This second edition of The Gebusi vividly portrays both the traditions and the modern challenges of Gebusi society and culture with updated content throughout and surprising new conclusions based on the author's return to the Gebusi in 2008.

List of Map, Figures, and Photographs ix

Preface xi

Entry 1

Introduction: In Search of Surprise 3

Part 1 1980-82 9

Chapter 1 Friends in the Forest 10

Chapter 2 Rhythms of Survival 24

Chapter 3 Lives of Death 38

Chapter 4 Getting Along with Kin and Killers 52

Chapter 5 Spirits, Sex, and Celebration 66

Chapter 6 Ultimate Splendor 78

Part 2 1998 91

Chapter 7 Reentry 92

Chapter 8 Yuway's Sacred Decision 106

Chapter 9 Pennies and Peanuts, Rugby and Radios 118

Chapter 10 Mysterious Romance, Marital Choice 130

Chapter 11 Sayu's Dance and After 144

Part 3 2008 159

Chapter 12 Gebusi 2008 160

Conclusion: Twenty-Eight Years amid Worlds of Change 173

Farewell 177

List of Persons 179

Study Questions 183

Index 189