Nearly a century ago in the South Pacific, cannibalistic pygmies lived in the rugged heart of Vanuatu s largest island, Espiritu Santo. They were thought to be extinct, but in 1995, Rick discovered they still existed. He was initiated into their tribe, and became an integral part of a unique culture that hates the white man, eats human flesh, and performs child sacrifice and other bizarre rituals. These remote highlanders live in a timeless and mystical world, and are so naturally violent no one else had ever documented their fascinating culture.
FREE Two-Day Shipping for students on millions of items. Learn more |
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Physically I was ready for whatever I had to face, but nothing could prepare me for the severe mental shock I was about to suffer when I became an intimate part of rituals that involve human sacrifice. Those experiences could have poisoned my soul, but I chose to make them enrich my thinking in a positive way. It demanded a lot of personal growth, and at times it wasn t easy. From: Interview with Rick Williamson --Traditionell Bogenschiessen Magazine, Germany
About the Author
Rick Williamson, 46, New Zealander photojournalist and explorer, lives with primitive tribes in the South Pacific. His articles and photos have been published worldwide.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Couldn't Put It Down!,
This review is from: Tavua- The White Cannibal (Hardcover)
TAVUA THE WHITE CANNIBAL BY RICK WILLIAMSON is a fascinating account of the New Zealand author's ten years' experience of living with and intimately experiencing the lifestyle and deeply spiritual and superstitious ways of one of the world's last remaining totally primitive tribes who live in the high mountains of Vanautu's largest Island, Espirito Santo, off the coast of Australia and New Zealand. Because of abuses by Spanish explorers, slave traders, and Christian missionaries in the distant past, these people of te village of Winea are hostile to white people and are practicing cannibals. Rick was in great danger of being killed and eaten when he first arrived, and even though he was adopted by one of the chiefs and taught the extremely secret kastam and tabus , he was constantly in danger for his life as he learned how to walk through the minefield of superstitions and forbidden ways, punishable by being castrated and boiled and eaten. He endured untold, excruciating torments both physical and mental in order to be accepted, initiated, and taught their secrets. His story is so fascinating I couldn't put the book down until I had read every word
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Man Becomes Man Bush,
By
This review is from: Tavua- The White Cannibal (Hardcover)
Reading this book took me back to Margaret Mead's Growing Up in New Guinea, a more scholarly work that explores similar aspects of tribal culture: the kastom or taboos that have to be learnt in order to be a functioning member of the tribe. Whereas Mead was, on the whole, a passive observer, Williamson sets out to learn the culture from the inside, determined to become a "man bush"--a full member of the tribe. His quest brings him close to death on more than one occasion, whether from disease or from a failure to get kastom right. It's possible that only the affection he inspires in his friends keeps him alive, as he makes blunder after blunder.
The exploration of the man bush culture is fascinating, but the book is also frustrating for what Williamson leaves out. As a man learning the men's ways, he's apart from the women of the tribe. He provides some fascinating details of the women's lives--for example, they're expected to give birth alone, and in silence--and there are photographs that demonstrate their importance in the tribe's day-to-day life, but we learn very little about how they spend their time, about the work they do. From Williamson's point of view, everything important is done by men, presumably because their lifestyle is what he needs to learn so he can preserve his anatomy from dissection. We learn about hunting and the men's rituals, but Williamson never touches, for example, on how the huts shown in his photographs are built, or by whom. We're given intriguing insights into the justice system--kava-induced hallucinations tell one chief that a child's apparently natural death was in fact brought about by a particular man, who then must flee for his life. There's no appeal, but he manages to stay safe for a month, and is then forgiven and welcomed back. Evidence as we understand it counts for nothing; these people's evidence comes from the spirits and the natural world. As the book goes on, we see Williamson becoming absorbed into the tribe's way of thinking, and much more accepting of their worldview. At one point, he joins in a violent beating of a guest who's breached kastom. Is it because he would otherwise be violently attacked himself--as he surely would? Or because the breach is now as meaningful to him as to his tribal brothers? The man bush life is harsh, and their ways appear cruel and unjust. Women are subservient to men, and can be beaten. Yet at the same time, children are loved and cared for. It's a way of life adapted to their environment, and the intrusion of missionaries does not necessarily confer benefits on the people--and nor does the sudden acquisition of wealth. Williamson tells the tale of his time among the men bush without romanticising--except perhaps towards the end. Yet, given that Williamson dedicated years of his life to learning these people from the inside out, I can't help feeling that the book should be twice as thick. This book would be a valuable acquisition for anyone interested in different cultures and ways of engaging with the Earth, or for a writer looking to build Fantasy or alien worlds. I'd be very happy to keep it! [Reviewed by Debbie Moorhouse]
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
