Foreigners among Papuans
Martin Soukup
First contacts in New Guinea.
The interior of the island of New Guinea has long been a white spot on western maps. On exploratory trips in the 1920’s and 1990’s, the us In the 19th century, it became clear that large human populations lived there, which remained isolated from coastal areas for millennia. The book deals with the interpretation of the first contacts between Papuans and foreigners, as the author calls the Europeans and Australians controlling the island. The arrival of foreigners has not in many way caused shock to Papuans. Because of the color of their skin, they were considered to be returning deceased ancestors, sometimes dangerous spirits or descendants of early-time beings whose arrival is a presage to the end of the world. After the initial shock, there were often violent clashes between foreigners and Papuans. An epic and readable publication depicts the course of important exploratory journeys that put the interior of the island on maps. The author also deals with the colonial order of the territories of Papua New Guinea, describes period racist views and practices and shows how social anthropology has provided foreigners with a foothold for their civilizational activities on the island. Foreigners very quickly managed to assert their own idea of civilization among Papuans and change the character of the cultures there once and for all.
The interior of the island of New Guinea has long been a white spot on western maps. On exploratory trips in the 1920’s and 1990’s, the us In the 19th century, it became clear that large human populations lived there, which remained isolated from coastal areas for millennia. The book deals with the interpretation of the first contacts between Papuans and foreigners, as the author calls the Europeans and Australians controlling the island. The arrival of foreigners has not in many way caused shock to Papuans. Because of the color of their skin, they were considered to be returning deceased ancestors, sometimes dangerous spirits or descendants of early-time beings whose arrival is a presage to the end of the world. After the initial shock, there were often violent clashes between foreigners and Papuans. An epic and readable publication depicts the course of important exploratory journeys that put the interior of the island on maps. The author also deals with the colonial order of the territories of Papua New Guinea, describes period racist views and practices and shows how social anthropology has provided foreigners with a foothold for their civilizational activities on the island. Foreigners very quickly managed to assert their own idea of civilization among Papuans and change the character of the cultures there once and for all.
339 Kč
