Description
An enduringly relevant survey, this book draws readers directly into an array of aboriginal cultures–Winnebago, Oglala Sioux, Maori, Banda, Batak, the Buin of Melanesia, Tahitian and Hawaiian, Zuni, and Ewe–to explore their belief systems. It further examines the conditioning of thought practiced among the members of each society and the freedom of individuals to deviate from the group and to effect change.
Intensive discussions of methodological problems, such as determining cultural standards, are rooted in firsthand data. The author allows his subjects to speak for themselves by quoting extensively from interviews (many of which he conducted in the course of his own fieldwork). Fascinating topics include cultural views of the purpose of life, marital relations, freedom of though, death, resignation, the nature of reality, the structure of the ego, human personality, the systematization of ideas, and concepts of deities. In addition, brilliant interpretations of myth and symbolism explore the nuances of their meaning to each culture.
Readers both in and out of the field will appreciate the rich and varied insights of this classic of anthropology.
