{ Wednesday, February 22, 2006 }
Flow, mentioned in the previous post, has a lot of great anecdotes & items of interest. Viz:
- To lure recruits, into the Turkish armed forces, the sultans of the sixteenth century promised conscripts the rewards of raping women in the conquered territories. (p. 17)
- Early ethnographers have described North American Plains Indians so hypnotically involved in gambling with buffalo rib bones that losers would often leave the teepee without clothes in the dead of winter, having wagered away their weapons, horses and wives as well.(p. 62)
- There are natives of New Guinea who spend more time looking in the jungle for the colorful feathers they use for decoration in their ritual dances than they spend looking for food. And this is by no means a rare example. (p. 76)
- The culture of the Dobu islanders, as described by the anthropolgist Reo Fortune, is one that encouraged constant fear of sorcery, mistrust among even the closest relatives, and vindictive behavior. Just going to the bathroom was a major problem, because it involved stepping out into the bush, where everybody expected to be attacked by bad magic when alone among the trees. The Dobuans didn't seem to "like" these characteristics so pervasive in their everyday experience, but they were unaware of alternatives. (p. 79)
LINK | 11:56 PM | TB
I tried to read this book last year, but couldn't get past the first chapter. Is is worth having another go at it? The ancecdotes you offered sound fascinating...
Jayme | February 24, 2006 8:32 AMI think it rewards persistence. The first couple chapters were a bit repetitive, but once he got into the swing of it, it improved. It's got a lot of great insights into happiness and the human condition, and I'd recommend it highly. I'll write a bit more about the book after I've finished it.
Caterina | February 24, 2006 1:46 PM{ Post a comment }
About your first point: was still happening in the first two decades of the last century, in a more pronounced way, too.
s. | February 23, 2006 7:37 AM