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New Guinea ceremonies / David Gillison.
Penn Museum Library GN671.G55 G54 2002
Available
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Gillison, David.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Gimi (Papua New Guinean people)--Social life and customs.
- Gimi (Papua New Guinean people).
- Rites and ceremonies--Papua New Guinea.
- Rites and ceremonies.
- Manners and customs.
- Papua New Guinea.
- Papua New Guinea--Social life and customs.
- Physical Description:
- 168 pages : color illustrations, color maps ; 30 cm
- Place of Publication:
- New York, N.Y. : Harry N. Abrams, 2002.
- Summary:
- Like the major ceremonies of Africa, the ancient and important rituals of tribal New Cuinea are fast disappearing. Nearly thirty years ago, photographer David Cilison began a long and close relationship with the Cimi people of Crater Mountain in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, a remote and beautiful rainforest area. Soon after arriving, he recorded with his camera and in notes what was probably the last Hau, a remarkable two-week long fertility festival, during which the young women were married and the teenaged boys were initiated into manhood. Most of the fascinating rites performed during the Hau take the form of ritual dramas enacted in the dark of night in the men's and women's houses. These little "plays" range in subject from the origin and creation myths of the Gimi to stories of crop failures and plagues of pests, rumors of extramarital affairs, male against male rivalries, malefemale conflicts, clan jealousies, and family strife. Sadly, these unique ritual dramas were discouraged by missionaries, and are now almost completely lost. But Gillison's fascinating photographs and intimate text bring them to life again. In addition, he offers a close look at the life of the people and the rainforests in which they live -- teeming with rich vegetation and gorgeous birds of paradise -- now preserved thanks to the efforts of the Gimi themselves, the author, and international conservation organizations.
- Contents:
- Chapter 1 Prologue
- Entering the Highlands 10
- Chapter 2 The Land and the People 34
- Chapter 3 The Hau at Herowana
- The Last Great Fertility Festival 82
- Chapter 4 Epilogue
- A Story of Conservation and Preservation 130.
- Notes:
- Includes index.
- ISBN:
- 0810906015 :
- OCLC:
- 49678495
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