Shooting the sun : ritual and meaning in West Sepik /

This collection is valuable both for subtle analyses and for the evidence it gives of divergent approaches to the study of ritual. With A. Gell's Metamorphosis of the Cassowaries (CH, May'76), it provides detailed information about rituals among peoples of the West Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. Juillerat's analysis emphasizes psychoanalytic themes, while Gell's work owes much to the Durkheimian heritage of British social anthropology. Both help to elucidate common themes in New Guinea symbolism and ritual practice. Other chapters add to understandings of the data by dealing with gender and transactions (M. Strathern), regional cults (R. Werbner), concealment and suppression of knowledge (D. Tuzin), and comparative methods (several authors). Reanalysis of rich ethnographic data is crucial for anthropology's attempts to yield generalizations. This collection shows both the promise and the difficulty of such an effort. Advanced undergraduate; graduate; faculty; professionals. J. Kirkpatrick; Community Resources, Inc.