Review by Choice Review
The remote northeastern corner of the People's Republic of China is divided today between Heilongjiang Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Here, in forests that represent the southernmost extension of the east Siberian taiga, live China's last remaining Ewenki reindeer herders. This edited volume is the first book-length, English-language publication devoted to this people and makes a very welcome addition to the growing ethnographic literature on northern Asia's indigenous peoples. Individual contributors include anthropologists from China and abroad who have conducted extensive fieldwork in the area, as well as local Ewenki literary voices. The book strikes an elegant balance between history, contemporary social commentary, and original narratives by members of the Ewenki community. The book also balances guarded optimism for Ewenki cultural survival with sober assessments of the tremendous changes visited on a small community near the Sino-Soviet border by a century of political upheaval and Marxist social experimentation. This valuable contribution is ideal for acquainting the broader world with one of China's least-known minority groups. For anthropologists and social historians as well as readers hoping to learn something new about Asia's modern pastoral peoples. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. --Edward J. Vajda, Western Washington University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
