Ancestral lines

de John Barker

"More than a century of interaction with colonial and global agencies and forces has brought many changes to the lives of the Maisin people who live on the northeastern coast of Papua New Guinea. Yet ancestral traditions continue to strongly inform their way of life. Drawing on his long-term fieldwork with the Maisin, Barker offers a nuanced understanding of the way in which the Maisin have been able to reject global commercial logging and remain true to their ancestral values, while still participating in wider social, political, and economic systems. Beautifully written and accessible to most readers, including those with little or no knowledge of Melanesia or anthropology, Ancestral Lines is designed with introductory cultural anthropology courses in mind. The book is organized into chapters that mirror many of the major topics covered in introductory cultural anthropology, such as kinship, economic pursuit, social arrangements, gender relations, religion, politics, and the environment, and uses the Maisin's signature product, tapa cloth, to explain and discuss these topics. The new edition includes a revised preface and an epilogue that brings readers up to date on important events since 2002, including a devastating cyclone and a major court victory against the forestry industry."--