Families of the Forest : The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon.

By: Johnson, AllenMaterial type: TextTextPublisher: Berkeley : University of California Press, 2003Copyright date: ©2003Edition: 1st edDescription: 1 online resource (277 pages)Content type: text Media type: computer Carrier type: online resourceISBN: 9780520936294Subject(s): Historical fiction -- History and criticism | Jews -- History -- 586 B.C.-70 A.D | Jews -- Identity -- History -- To 1500 | Third Book of Maccabees -- Criticism, interpretation, etcGenre/Form: Electronic books.Additional physical formats: Print version:: Families of the Forest : The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian AmazonDDC classification: 305.898 LOC classification: BS1825.52 -- .J64 2004ebOnline resources: Click to View
Contents:
Intro -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- List of Tables -- Preface -- Introduction: Among the Matsigenka -- 1. Setting and History -- 2. Making a Living -- 3. Family Life -- 4. Society and Politics -- 5. Cosmos -- Conclusion: A Family Level Society -- Glossary -- References Cited -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y.
Summary: The idea of a family level society, discussed and disputed by anthropologists for nearly half a century, assumes moving, breathing form in Families of the Forest. According to Allen Johnson's deft ethnography, the Matsigenka people of southeastern Peru cannot be understood or appreciated except as a family level society; the family level of sociocultural integration is for them a lived reality. Under ordinary circumstances, the largest social units are individual households or small extended-family hamlets. In the absence of such "tribal" features as villages, territorial defense and warfare, local or regional leaders, and public ceremonials, these people put a premium on economic self-reliance, control of aggression within intimate family settings, and freedom to believe and act in their own perceived self-interest. Johnson shows how the Matsigenka, whose home is the Amazon rainforest, are able to meet virtually all their material needs with the skills and labor available to the individual household. They try to raise their children to be independent and self-reliant, yet in control of their emotional, impulsive natures, so that they can get along in intimate, cooperative living groups. Their belief that self-centered impulsiveness is dangerous and self-control is fulfilling anchors their moral framework, which is expressed in abundant stories and myths. Although, as Johnson points out, such people are often described in negative terms as lacking in features of social and cultural complexity, he finds their small-community lifestyle efficient, rewarding, and very well adapted to their environment.
Tags from this library: No tags from this library for this title. Log in to add tags.
    Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)
No physical items for this record

Intro -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- List of Tables -- Preface -- Introduction: Among the Matsigenka -- 1. Setting and History -- 2. Making a Living -- 3. Family Life -- 4. Society and Politics -- 5. Cosmos -- Conclusion: A Family Level Society -- Glossary -- References Cited -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y.

The idea of a family level society, discussed and disputed by anthropologists for nearly half a century, assumes moving, breathing form in Families of the Forest. According to Allen Johnson's deft ethnography, the Matsigenka people of southeastern Peru cannot be understood or appreciated except as a family level society; the family level of sociocultural integration is for them a lived reality. Under ordinary circumstances, the largest social units are individual households or small extended-family hamlets. In the absence of such "tribal" features as villages, territorial defense and warfare, local or regional leaders, and public ceremonials, these people put a premium on economic self-reliance, control of aggression within intimate family settings, and freedom to believe and act in their own perceived self-interest. Johnson shows how the Matsigenka, whose home is the Amazon rainforest, are able to meet virtually all their material needs with the skills and labor available to the individual household. They try to raise their children to be independent and self-reliant, yet in control of their emotional, impulsive natures, so that they can get along in intimate, cooperative living groups. Their belief that self-centered impulsiveness is dangerous and self-control is fulfilling anchors their moral framework, which is expressed in abundant stories and myths. Although, as Johnson points out, such people are often described in negative terms as lacking in features of social and cultural complexity, he finds their small-community lifestyle efficient, rewarding, and very well adapted to their environment.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2018. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.

There are no comments on this title.

to post a comment.

Powered by Koha