"Showing Signs of Violence" deals with the ceremonies of "pangngae", a mock headhunt that lingers stubbornly at the centre of political life in a marginal upland community in Sulawesi, Indonesia. No killing takes place in this ritual - no actual heads are taken - but its rhetoric of violence is unmistakable and real. Kenneth M. George vividly details the rites of "pangngae", from the headhunters' secret and predatory journey downriver to the week of public festivity that follows their exuberant return. He puts special ...
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"Showing Signs of Violence" deals with the ceremonies of "pangngae", a mock headhunt that lingers stubbornly at the centre of political life in a marginal upland community in Sulawesi, Indonesia. No killing takes place in this ritual - no actual heads are taken - but its rhetoric of violence is unmistakable and real. Kenneth M. George vividly details the rites of "pangngae", from the headhunters' secret and predatory journey downriver to the week of public festivity that follows their exuberant return. He puts special emphasis on the songs, speeches, and liturgies of the headhunt and shows how this ritual is neither a relic form of primitive violence nor an obsolete discourse on the social horizons of a remote community. In fact, the themes, purposes, and circumstances of "pangngae" make it the most public and community-defining form of ceremonial violence for this small mountain enclave as it confronts the dilemmas presented by Indonesian modernity and state culture.
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Seller's Description:
As New. Book Octavo, softcover, as new in black and beige decorative wraps. 339 pp. including index. deals with the ceremonies of pangngae, a mock headhunt that lingers stubbornly at the center of political life in a marginal upland community in Sulawesi, Indonesia. No killing takes place in this ritual-no actual heads are taken-but its rhetoric of violence is unmistakable and real.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Size: 8x6x1; Good paperback copy, from a personal collection (NOT ex-library). Spine is uncreased, binding tight and sturdy. Pencil markings made by a professor of anthropology from the University of Minnesota. Shelfwear is minor. A case study of pangngae in Indonesia. Ships from Dinkytown in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
