R R Marett Writer Foreword (1 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good+. First Edition. First Edition. Hardcover. The Orokaiva consist of several tribes that reside in the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea. The Orokaiva have a history of European contact, as Papua New Guinea was annexed by the British government in 1888, and subsequently became an Australian territory in 1905. The Orokaiva religion is concerned primarily with spirits of the dead. A Taro Cult was established in the early 1900's, and was originally directed toward supplicating taro spirits. This quickly shifted towards the placation of spirits of ancestors and departed relatives, who are said to control taro growth. The Orokaiva Taro Cult is both a fertility cult and cult of the dead. Religious practitioners (called taro men) act as medicine men, sorcerers, and weather magicians.--db of Religious History. Orokaiva Magic, is a psychological interpretation of the reasoning behind the practice of magic among the Orokaiva. Descriptions of Orokaiva folkways are often interspersed with witticisms. The predominant theme that permeates all phases of native life seems to be the effect of the newly introduced Taro cult upon the Orokaiva. Since Williams was writing this monograph primarily for the use of the Papuan Government, a great deal of emphasis is placed on how Orokaiva society could be improved by introducing new educational policies. Francis Edgar Williams (9 February 1893 12 May 1943) was an Australian anthropologist who worked for the government of the Territory of Papua from 1922 to 1942. While in the field Williams did many of the standard tasks of anthropologists at the time he differed from his peers by revisiting field sites many times over years. This frequent exposure to the Papuan culture led his work to be far more realistic than the often romanticized fieldwork and subjects of his contemporaries."The three parts of this book were presented as Anthropological reports nos. 6, 7, and 8 to the Papuan government." Lightly bumped corners/head and tail, light toning, uncut pages, else tight, bright, and unmarred. Presentation copy from author to W.F. Armstrong. Dark blue cloth with gilt decorative device. 8vo. 225pp. Illus. (b/w) folding map, frontis. Lacking DJ.