Amazonian Indians from Prehistory to the Present: Anthropological Perspectives

Book Overview

Amazonia has long been a focus of debate about the impact of the tropical rain forest environment on indigenous cultural development. This edited volume draws on the subdisciplines of anthropology to present an integrated perspective of Amazonian studies. The contributors address transformations of native societies as a result of their interaction with Western civilization from initial contact to the present day, demonstrating that the pre- and postcontact characteristics of these societies display differences that until now have been little recognized.CONTENTSAmazonian Anthropology: Strategy for a New Synthesis, Anna C. RooseveltThe Ancient Amerindian Polities of the Amazon, Orinoco and Atlantic Coast: A Preliminary Analysis of Their Passage from Antiquity to Extinction, Neil Lancelot WhiteheadThe Impact of Conquest on Contemporary Indigenous Peoples of the Guiana Shield: The System of Orinoco Regional Interdependence, Nelly Arvelo-Jimenez and Horacio BiordSocial Organization and Political Power in the Amazon Floodplain: The Ethnohistorical Sources, Antonio PorroThe Evidence for the Nature of the Process of Indigenous Deculturation and Destabilization in the Amazon Region in the Last 300 Years: Preliminary Data, Adelia Engracia de OliveiraHealth and Demography of Native Amazonians: Historical Perspective and Current Status, Warren M. HernDiet and Nutritional Status of Amazonian Peoples, Darna L. DufourHunting and Fishing in Amazonia: Hold the Answers, What are the Questions?, Stephen BeckermanHomeostasis as a Cultural System: The Jivaro Case, Philippe DescolaFarming, Feuding, and Female Status: The Achuara Case, Pita KeleknaSubsistence Strategy, Social Organization, and Warfare in Central Brazil in the Context of European Penetration, Nancy M. FlowersEnvironmental and Social Implications of Pre- and Post-Contact Situations on Brazilian Indians: The Kayapo and a New Amazonian Synthesis, Darrell Addison PoseyBeyond Resistance: A Comparative Study of Utopian Renewal in Amazonia, Michael F. BrownThe Eastern Bororo Seen from an Archaeological Perspective, Irmhilde WustGenetic Relatedness and Language Distributions in Amazonia, Harriet E. Manelis KleinLanguage, Culture, and Environment: Tup -Guaran Plant Names Over Time, William Balee and Denny MooreBecoming Indian: The Politics of Tukanoan Ethnicity, Jean E. Jackson"

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0816514364
• ISBN13: 9780816514366
• Release Date: November 1994
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press
• Length: 420 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 11.0" x 6.0"