Empowering the past, confronting the future : the Duna people of Papua New Guinea /

Over the past quarter century, Strathern and Stewart (both, Univ. of Pittsburgh) have published profusely on the Duna people of the Southern Highlands, as well as on Papua New Guinea anthropology in general. The references section of this little book, an ethnographic monograph on the process of change and wider geopolitical contexts, contains 29 items by these authors. The Duna, like many of the population groups, especially in the Highlands, lived in relative isolation until the 1960s. Now, roads, mining, and changes affect all aspects of their lives. There are nine chapters: "Place and Problem"; "Flexible Groups"; "Forces of Change"; "Leaders and Speech-Making"; "Myth, Ritual, and Change"; "The Duna in Regional Context"; "Concepts of Tradition and Change"; "Empowering the Past?"; "Change Among the Duna: A Synopsis and Some Wider Implications." Earlier anthropologists described unilineal descent systems in the Highlands. Chapter 2 is of importance because it clarifies how the Duna may choose to employ agnatic or cognatic systems--thus choice and flexibility. Strathern and Stewart do a nice job of interweaving ethnography, history, and theory. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. B. M. du Toit emeritus, University of Florida