Customer Reviews

Cultivators in the swamps;: Social structure and horticulture in a New Guinea society (Frederik-Hendrik Island, West New Guinea) (Samenlevingen buiten Europa. Non-European societies)

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Based on research in the early 1960es, this book gives a comprehensive description of the culture of the people of Yos Sudarso Island off the south coast of West Papua. This island, which is so prone to flooding that human life was only made possible there by creating artificial islands, is inhabited by 5 different language-groups that were nevertheless found to be culturally very similar.
The picture given of their tradtional culture is fascinating, but as that was already said to be undergoing significant changes earlier than many other West Papuan cultures, one is left wondering how much of it is left today.
The book includes a detailed, fold-out map of the island.