The Gebusi, written by Knauft, was written with the intention of sharing the author’s discoveries during his stay with and study of the Gebusi people in Papua New Guinea. Starting in the early 1980’s, he traveled to Papua New Guinea and lived with the Gebusi people. At that time, they were still in their traditional tribal way of life, which fascinated him and resulted in the writing of the first edition of the Gebusi. The second time he visited was the late 1990’s when Christianity had civilized the people and the government had sent workers to improve the quality of life for the Gebusi. Then we have the final visit in 2008 where Knauft discovered the government had abandoned the people and they had somewhat returned to their own ways.…
The Meanings of Trees: Forest and Identity for the Batek of Pahang, Malaysia.Full Text Available By: Tuck-Po, Lye. Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, Dec2005, Vol. 6 Issue 3, p249-261, 13p; DOI: 10.1080/14442210500342417…
Hi my name is Agent Zeek , Im a vacation travel agent, my job is to make presentation and advertise different travel packages and to promote different part of the world. During the past few weeks i been traveling to different part of the world, and the most spatacular place that caught my attention was the tropical rain forest.Tropical rainforests cover about 6% of the Earth's total land surface. They are mainly located around the belt at the equator. The climate of the rainforest is warm most of the year and has a lot of rain through most of the year. The climate is perfect for animals and plant growth. Even though the rainforests cover such a little amount of land mass of the Earth, they are home to the largest number of plant and animal species in such a concentrated area.…
Annette B. Weiner describes her fieldwork in the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea as entering a world without cultural guideposts. She was fully aware and expected to find difficulty with learning a new language and of letting go of her own cultural assumptions. Weiner studied the Trobriand Islands via the writings of Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski and thus her expectations were set by fieldwork performed sixty years earlier. Not to mention that Malinowski was a man, of a different time and therefore was almost of a different culture himself.…
- Participation leads to acceptance form society. He was not acting as an observer but was taking part in the experience.…
5.) Which feature in the physical structure of Tropical Rain Forest is likely to have been the most significant factor in the evolution of rain forest diversity? the canopy…
Vol. 2, No. 1, Biological and Cultural Anthropology at Emory University (Feb., 1987), pp. 137-154…
The complexities and the ever-increasing strife of modern human life bids one to learn more about the normal and natural human cultural experiences, so that misconceptions about modern civilized' ways of life and progress' are clarified, in a way helping him in creating a more egalitarian and sustainable society. The is the significance of the study of cultural anthropology it helps man to analyze and evaluate himself, his culture and his society, while gaining an in-depth understanding of other ways of life. The life and culture of the Dobe Ju Hoansi, the ethno-linguistic group of people of the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa, presents the advanced Western community with such normal and natural' human cultural experiences; Richard Lee describes it in fine detail in his book titled The Dobe Ju/'Hoansi.' The Dobe Ju Hoansi of the Kalahari Desert Called by western anthropologists as the "Dobe !Kung", the Dobe Ju Hoansi, are essentially a hunting and gathering kind of people living near waterholes in northwestern Bechanaland (presently Botswana) region in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. Popularly known as "bushmen" and living essentially by hunting and foraging until the 1960s, for a contemporary outsider, particularly a Westerner, the nomadic and fierce Dobe Ju Hoansi may seem to be a barbaric and uncivilized group. It is only when one gets to know their living conditions and their cultural adaptations for survival as a community that the complex and superior cultural elements underlying the seemingly oafish ethnic community becomes apparent. The Dobe Ju/'Hoansi,' written by Richard Lee, an anthropologist at the University of Toronto, after conducting about 15 months of fieldwork among the Ju Hoansis between1963 and 1965, presents an extremely informative and analytical study of the culture and nature of life of the tribal society from a socio- environmental perspective. His description presents a clear idea of the extremely harsh living environment…
The paper “Eating Christmas in the Kalahari”, written by Richard Lee, it describes his experience living with the Kung Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in south central Africa. The story goes into depth about the experiences and cultural differences that caused him to almost quit his three year study. The study serves as documentation of another instance of how different societies of people distinguish themselves from one another and how they conduct themselves on a daily basis.…
Forest: Law, Life, and Mind (2001), the past decade has witnessed a growing interest in…
The Ituri rainforest, found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is one of the most biologically diverse areas in Africa. Known for its civil and tribal conflict the Democratic Republic of the Congo is also known for the Okapi Wildlife reserve. The reserve is found within the Congo River basin, which is considered Africa’s main drainage system. Encompassing nearly one-fifth of the Ituri Rainforest, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve contains many endangered mammals and birds. Included in the endangered animals is the elusive okapi. Out of 30,000 okapi still in existence, the reserve is a haven for roughly 5,000 of them (Woods Hole Research Center, 2009). The okapi share the reserve with several species of primates, birds, and elephants. Animals are not the only creatures roaming the Ituri forest. The nomadic pygmy tribes Mbuti and Efe are found here. They live off the plants and animals within the forest (Turnbull, 2001). Some animals, however; they will not hunt due to spiritual beliefs. All of forests inhabitants rely on the lush and dramatic scenery of waterfalls, lowland tropical forests, and the canopied rainforests that are homes to a wide range of plants that are not located anywhere else. Despite the unique animals, plants, and culture found within the reserve, it is unfortunately endangered itself. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve created in 1992, was placed on the protected United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) list in 1996 (UNESCO, 2010) and World Heritage in Danger added them in 1998 (World Heritage List in Danger, 2010). The Okapi Wildlife reserve is caught in the middle of warfare and politics that leaves it understaffed and not properly equipped. Not only are tools needed to keep the reserve alive, but they are needed to fight the threats surrounding the reserve. Further resources and funding are needed to ensure the survival and preservation of the reserve as well as the endangered species within.…
Throughout a hundred centuries people have worked hard to sustain productive agriculture and dense human populations. Certain forms of agriculture are possible, and should be considered sustainable, for the economic development of tropical rainforests. For thousands of years humans have created a disturbance in the rainforests by creating areas of concentrated diversity of species within the landscape. The Indigenous people of the Amazon fostered palm forests, groves of Brazil nuts and fruit trees, and vine forests near ancient Amazonian settlements. Environmentalists could argue that rainforests can be “saved” by through the restriction of economic growth, but it is vital to realize that the local communities will not approve parks and reserves, as it is in their interest to conserve the rainforest. The shifted cultivator who forces small farmers into the forest to begin new farmlands causes about 60% of deforestation in Amazon. Researchers have warned if we continue to change the use of the land it can affect the region’s climate, and the absorption of carbon dioxide in the Amazon. “By converting forests into cropland there is a pronounced ecological and climate impact than land conversions because it involves the complete removal of land biomass, including tree trunks, stumps and woody roots.” (Mike Bettwy of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center). A better approach to addressing the increasing problem of deforestation in the Amazon is to follow the methods that have been used by indigenous forest dwellers for thousands of years. Many cleared forest areas used for agriculture can be salvaged by cultivation techniques. Annual crops, pasture land, are some examples of what can be done to increase agricultural productivity and to reduce the destruction in many rainforests.…
Tropical rainforests are one of the most endangered habitats in the world. Many factors threaten these forests, possibly leading to deforestation and decrease of species within a forest. In South-East Asia, the point where tropical rainforests can only exist as preserved fragments in nature reserves is approaching very fast (Aiken & Leigh, 1985). One example is a nature reserve named “Bukit Timah” in Singapore.…
When mention the word ‘Borneo’, instantaneously these metaphors comes into our mind; beautiful elaborated designs of traditional costumes, graceful dance moves accompanied by tribal music, tattoos, headhunting, and the untouched beauty of floras and faunas.…
notes on the ecology of rain forest species. Journal of East African Natural History 88:17-24.…