Deadly Dances in the Bornean Rainforest : Hunting Knowledge of the Penan Benalui

Rajindra K Puri

ISBN 10: 9067182397 / ISBN 13: 9789067182393

Published by Brill Jan 2006, 2006

About this Item

Neuware - For two years Rajindra Puri lived and hunted with the Penan Benalui people in the rainforest of eastern Borneo in Indonesia. Here he reports on Penan hunting techniques, the knowledge required to be a successful hunter, and the significance of hunting for Penan communities. A hunt offers the opportunity for younger Penan to learn crucial survival skills, knowledge of the environment, local geography, genealogy, history, and beliefs and values. Songs and stories recount hunting adventures and legends, while ceremonial dances demonstrate the coordination and agility required of the expert hunter.The author makes a case for using active participant-observation, in conjunction with standard ethnobiological research methods, for documenting non-verbal knowledge. Included here are 21 months of hunting records and comprehensive appendices on game species and ethnobiological data. This work will be useful to anthropologists, conservation biologists, and those interested in Indonesian ethnobiology.

Seller Inventory # 9789067182393

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Deadly Dances in the Bornean Rainforest : Hunting Knowledge of the Penan Benalui
• Publisher: Brill Jan 2006
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9067182397
• ISBN 13: 9789067182393
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 240W x 161H x 21D millimeters 240 millimeters width by 161 millimeters height by 21 millimeters depth
• Weight: 680 grams

About this title

Synopsis

For two years Rajindra Puri lived and hunted with the Penan Benalui people in the rainforest of eastern Borneo in Indonesia. Here he reports on Penan hunting techniques, the knowledge required to be a successful hunter, and the significance of hunting for Penan communities. A hunt offers the opportunity for younger Penan to learn crucial survival skills, knowledge of the environment, local geography, genealogy, history, and beliefs and values. Songs and stories recount hunting adventures and legends, while ceremonial dances demonstrate the coordination and agility required of the expert hunter.
The author makes a case for using active participant-observation, in conjunction with standard ethnobiological research methods, for documenting non-verbal knowledge. Included here are 21 months of hunting records and comprehensive appendices on game species and ethnobiological data. This work will be useful to anthropologists, conservation biologists, and those interested in Indonesian ethnobiology.

About the Author

Rajindra Puri is a lecturer in environmental anthropology and ethnobiology at the University of Kent at Canterbury, England.