THE JIVARO: People of the Sacred Waterfalls

by Michael J. Harner ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 27, 1972

This broad inquiry into the culture of the Jivaro -- an extant tribe of primitive South American Indians located in eastern Ecuador noted for its ferocity and hyper-individualism -- is primarily of interest and value to professional ethnologists. Conceivably, however, Harner's study could reach a somewhat extended audience given the Jivaro's historical notoriety as headhunters. But this is not the stuff of the late-late-too-late show. The author, a serious anthropologist (a professor in the New School for Social Research's graduate department), is committed to reporting ""those aspects of Jivaro culture that had changed or remained stable during this century"" -- for instance, the tribe's use of hallucinogens for religious invocation, its belligerence toward outsiders, the socially sanctioned use of poisoning as extralegal punishment for certain behavior. Harner's methodology includes data gathering via extensive fieldwork (1956-57, 1964, 1969), employment of paid informants, and a very conscientious scrutiny of the two other major field reports (Karsten's Headhunters of Western Amazons and Stirling's Historical and Ethnographical Material on the Jivaro Indians -- both published in the '30's and both containing many contradictory findings). Thus, from the standpoint of the social scientist seeking certifiable cross-cultural information on world cultures, The Jivaro not only serves to reconcile or corroborate (and in some instances correct) the existing data file but it updates it and fills in the lacunae. Published in conjunction with the American Museum of Natural History.

Pub Date: Oct. 27, 1972

ISBN: 0520050657

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1972

Categories: NONFICTION