Customer Reviews

The Korowai of Irian Jaya: Their Language in Its Cultural Context

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This is the first book that describes a more inside view of the Korowai. The culture of this lowland tribe in Papua (Irian Jaya) has suffered a lot in the last few years. After some articles have been published in magazines, to descibe the so called "tree-house people", there has been a overrun with tourist-groups. Also they have Sandal-wood in the area, thats why many indonesians went in the forest to buy it from the Korowai. There is more as Linguistic information in this book. I t describes also the material culture, myths and the first contact with the outside world.

The book is an interesting reading for specialists in the field. It is the result of classical, careful empirical descriptive linguistics. I have only one remark to make: the book essentialises the Korowai to an unheard extent (first-contact-wish of ethnographers willing to make and break a career?). Of course the Korowai were no 'untouched', 'virgin' people at all. They have a history both with their fellow countrymen and with the outside world that goes beyond what the authors claim. It is a pitty that competent ethnographers still reduce their 'objects' to their Eurocentric gaze. This way they contribute to an even greater influx of foreigners into the territories of the Korowai.