- Hardcover: 120 pages
- Publisher: Aperture (October 1992)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0893815209
- ISBN-13: 978-0893815202
- Product Dimensions: 31.2 x 23.7 x 1.7 cm
- Shipping Weight: 1 Kg
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,734,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
This beautiful book includes 80 color photographs and journal entries by Lindsay, an ethnographic photographer who has spent considerable time among the traditional people who inhabit the rain forest on the island of Siberut in Indonesia. Lindsay's friendship with a local shaman provided an opportunity for an intimate study of the customs and rituals of a people whose way of life is threatened by logging and modernization. Shamanic initiation and the duties and practices of traditional shamans on Siberut are carefully detailed. The photographs present a vivid, compelling ethnographic portrait. An essay by Reimar Schefold (cultural anthropology, Leiden Univ.) provides historical and cultural information about shamanism on Siberut. A fascinating look at an endangered culture. Highly recommended.
- Elizabeth Salt, Otterbein Coll. Lib., Westerville, Ohio
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Elizabeth Salt, Otterbein Coll. Lib., Westerville, Ohio
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Nature is both religion and survival for those who dwell in the rain forest. But change, in the form of development, is eating away at the natural diversity that is the basis of Mentawaian island society. This book makes clear that we will all be impoverished by the loss of this ecosystem and the richly distinct human society that depends on it for existence and meaning."--Adrian Forsyth, Conservation International
"For the Mentawaian, priest and physician are one, for the condition of the spirit determines the physical state of the body. Sickness is disruption, imbalance, and the manifestation of malevolent forces in the flesh. Health is a state of balance, of harmony, and for the Mentawaian it is something holy. Although ailments may be treated symptomatically, often with medicinal plants, many of which are indeed pharmacologically active, it is intervention on the spiritual plane that ultimaetly determines a patient's fate, and for this the healers must fly away on the wings of trance to distant realms where they may work their deeds of magical resuce. This book is an exquisite portrait of a people who move in and out of their spirit realm with an ease and impunity that has consistently astonished ethnographic observers."--Wade Davis, author of The Serpent and the Rainbow
"One of the best environmental warnings of 1983. Every ten days an area the size of Noxubee County loses it's timber and all the bird, animal and plant life being supported by it. Mentawai Shaman: Keeper of the Rain Forest by Charles Lindsay, is a rare and exotic glance at this ominous fact."--Broox Sledge, The Book World
"Ethnographer Lindsay's fascination with the Mentawaian tribe and their determination to hold to traditions despite the intrusion of outside social and political forces makes for a captivating account."--The Bookwatch
"For the Mentawaian, priest and physician are one, for the condition of the spirit determines the physical state of the body. Sickness is disruption, imbalance, and the manifestation of malevolent forces in the flesh. Health is a state of balance, of harmony, and for the Mentawaian it is something holy. Although ailments may be treated symptomatically, often with medicinal plants, many of which are indeed pharmacologically active, it is intervention on the spiritual plane that ultimaetly determines a patient's fate, and for this the healers must fly away on the wings of trance to distant realms where they may work their deeds of magical resuce. This book is an exquisite portrait of a people who move in and out of their spirit realm with an ease and impunity that has consistently astonished ethnographic observers."--Wade Davis, author of The Serpent and the Rainbow
"One of the best environmental warnings of 1983. Every ten days an area the size of Noxubee County loses it's timber and all the bird, animal and plant life being supported by it. Mentawai Shaman: Keeper of the Rain Forest by Charles Lindsay, is a rare and exotic glance at this ominous fact."--Broox Sledge, The Book World
"Ethnographer Lindsay's fascination with the Mentawaian tribe and their determination to hold to traditions despite the intrusion of outside social and political forces makes for a captivating account."--The Bookwatch
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
An honest and beautiful picture journal of the Mentawai,
This review is from: Mentawai Shaman: Keeper of the Rain Forest (Hardcover)
When in Sumatra - Indonesia I read this book, which convinced me to go to Pulau Siberut to see and experience the Mentawai. Before leaving I was sceptical how much the book really reflected the way that the Mentawai actually live but when I got to Siberut, and experienced these people for myself I realised how true to life the book really is. It doesn't have anything in it that is not accurate, perhaps slightly glossier than reality at times, but not inaccurate. I took the opportunity to stay with Aman Lao Lao, the Shaman featured in the book who - like all the Mentawai - is a warm, hospitable and often funny guy. They don't wear their dress for show or for photos, but genuinely do dress in the manner shown in the book, although they might have more modern clothes if they need to visit the port or come into contact with officialdom. The Mentawai people are extremely interesting and good natured and I would urge anyone who has any interest in tribal cultures to look at this book as there are very few places where one can see such an unspoiled civilisation, and this book shows with stunning photography how these wonderful people continue to live
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review) 16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An honest and beautiful picture journal of the Mentawai,
By "raphk" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Mentawai Shaman: Keeper of the Rain Forest (Hardcover)
When in Sumatra - Indonesia I read this book, which convinced me to go to Pulau Siberut to see and experience the Mentawai. Before leaving I was sceptical how much the book really reflected the way that the Mentawai actually live but when I got to Siberut, and experienced these people for myself I realised how true to life the book really is. It doesn't have anything in it that is not accurate, perhaps slightly glossier than reality at times, but not inaccurate. I took the opportunity to stay with Aman Lao Lao, the Shaman featured in the book who - like all the Mentawai - is a warm, hospitable and often funny guy. They don't wear their dress for show or for photos, but genuinely do dress in the manner shown in the book, although they might have more modern clothes if they need to visit the port or come into contact with officialdom. The Mentawai people are extremely interesting and good natured and I would urge anyone who has any interest in tribal cultures to look at this book as there are very few places where one can see such an unspoiled civilisation, and this book shows with stunning photography how these wonderful people continue to live |
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