Upriver : The Turbulent Life and Times of an Amazonian People / Michael F. Brown.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brown, Michael F., author.

Series:

Ancient philosophies.

Ancient Philosophies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Indians of South America--Peru--Amazonas--Social conditions.

Indians of South America.

Indians of South America--Peru--Amazonas--Social life and customs.

Indians of South America--Peru--Amazonas--Folklore.

Amazonas (Peru)--Social conditions.

Amazonas (Peru).

Amazonas (Peru)--Social life and customs.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (332 p.)

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press, [2014]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In this remarkable story of one man's encounter with an indigenous people of Peru, Michael Brown guides his readers upriver into a contested zone of the Amazonian frontier, where more than 50,000 Awajún-renowned for their pugnacity and fierce independence-remain determined, against long odds, to live life on their own terms. When Brown took up residence with the Awajún in 1976, he knew little about them other than their ancestors' reputation as fearsome headhunters. The fledgling anthropologist was immediately impressed by his hosts' vivacity and resourcefulness. But eventually his investigations led him into darker corners of a world where murderous vendettas, fear of sorcery, and a shocking incidence of suicide were still common. Peru's Shining Path insurgency in the 1980s forced Brown to refocus his work elsewhere. Revisiting his field notes decades later, now with an older man's understanding of life's fragility, Brown saw a different story: a tribal society trying, and sometimes failing, to maintain order in the face of an expanding capitalist frontier. Curious about how the Awajún were faring, Brown returned to the site in 2012, where he found a people whose combative self-confidence had led them to the forefront of South America's struggle for indigenous rights. Written with insight, sensitivity, and humor, Upriver paints a vivid picture of a rapidly growing population that is refashioning its warrior tradition for the twenty-first century. Embracing literacy and digital technology, the Awajún are using hard-won political savvy to defend their rainforest home and right of self-determination.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

A Note to Readers

Introduction

Part One. 1976-1978

1. Andean Prelude

2. Armadillo for Breakfast

3. Puzzle Pieces

4. Jesus versus the Warrior Spirits

5. Four Weddings and a Funeral

6. Trouble in Mind

7. Hard Lessons

Part Two. 1980- 2012

8. Civilization's Twisting Road

9. Boundary Condition

10. Looking Back

Notes

Sources on the Awajún and Related Societies

Acknowledgments

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jul 2019)

ISBN:

9780674744899

0674744896

9780674735583

0674735587

OCLC:

1013936908