A Death in the Rainforest : How a Language and a Way of Life Came to an End in Papua New Guinea

“Perhaps the finest and most profound account of ethnographic fieldwork and discovery that has ever entered the anthropological literature.” —The Wall Street Journal “If you want to experience a profoundly different culture without the exhausting travel (to say nothing of the cost), this is an excellent choice.”—The Washington Post One of Time's 32 Books You Need to Read This Summer • One of National Geographic's Best Travel Books of Summer As a young anthropologist, Don Kulick went to the tiny village of Gapun in New Guinea to document the death of the native language, Tayap. He arrived knowing that you can't study a language without understanding the daily lives of the people who speak it: how they talk to their children, how they argue, how they gossip, how they joke. Over the course of thirty years, as he returned again and again to document the vanishing language, he found himself inexorably drawn into the lives and world of the Gapuners, and implicated in their destiny. In A Death in the Rainforest, Kulick takes us inside the village as he came to know it, revealing what it is like to live in a difficult-to-get-to village of two hundred people, carved out like a cleft in the middle of a tropical rainforest. And in doing so, he also gives us a brilliant interrogation of what it means to study a culture, an illuminating look at the impact of Western culture on the farthest reaches of the globe—and, ultimately, the story of why this anthropologist realized that he had to give up his study of this language and this village. As a young anthropologist, Don Kulickwent to the tiny village of Gapun in New Guinea to document the death ofthe nativelanguage, Tayap. He arrived knowing that you cant study a language withoutunderstanding the dailylives of the people who speak it: how they talk totheir children, how they argue, how they gossip, how they joke.Over the courseof thirty years, he returned again and again to document Tayap before itdisappeared entirely, and hefound himself inexorably drawn into their world,and implicated in their destiny. Kulick wanted to tell the story ofGapunersonethat went beyond the particulars and uses of their languagethat took fullstock of their vanishingculture. This book takes us inside the village as he cameto know it, revealing what it is like to live in a difficult-to-get-to villageof two hundred people, carved out like a cleft in the middle of a tropicalrainforest. But A Death in the Rainforest is also an illuminating look at the impact of white society onthe farthestreaches of the globeand the story of why this anthropologist realized finallythat he had to give up his study of this languageand this village. An engaging, deeply perceptive, and brilliant interrogationof what it means to study a culture, A Death in theRainfores ttakesreaders into a world that endures in the face of massive changes, one that ison the verge ofdisappearing forever. As a young anthropologist, Don Kulick went to the tiny village of Gapun in New Guinea to document the death of the native language, Tayap. He arrived knowing that you can?t study a language without understanding the daily lives of the people who speak it: how they talk to their children, how they argue, how they gossip, how they joke. Over the course of thirty years, he returned again and again to document Tayap before it disappeared entirely, and he found himself inexorably drawn into their world, and implicated in their destiny. Kulick wanted to tell the story of Gapuners?one that went beyond the particulars and uses of their language?that took full stock of their vanishing culture. This book takes us inside the village as he came to know it, revealing what it is like to live in a difficult-to-get-to village of two hundred people, carved out like a cleft in the middle of a tropical rainforest. But A Death in the Rainforest is also an illuminating look at the impact of white society on the farthest reaches of the globe?and the story of why this anthropologist realized finally that he had to give up his study of this language and this village As A Young Anthropologist, Kulick Went To The Tiny Village Of Gapun In New Guinea To Document The Death Of The Native Language, Tayap. He Arrived Knowing That You Can't Study A Language Without Understanding The Daily Lives Of The People Who Speak It: How They Talk To Their Children, How They Argue, How They Gossip, How They Joke. Over The Course Of Thirty Years, He Returned Again And Again To Document Tayap Before It Disappeared Entirely. Here He Takes Us Inside The Difficult-to-get-to Village Of Two Hundred People. In Doing So He Looks At The Impact Of White Society On The Farthest Reaches Of The Globe. -- Adapted From Jacket The Air We Breathe -- A Village In The Swamp -- First Catch Your Teacher -- Moses's Plan -- The Burden Of Giving -- Dining In Gapun -- I'm Getting Out Of Here -- Over The Rainbow -- The Poetics Of Swearing -- Matters Of The Liver -- Young People's Tayap -- Living Dangerously -- Who Killed Monei? -- Luke Writes A Letter -- Going To Hell -- What Actually Dies When A Language Dies? -- The End. Don Kulick. As a young anthropologist, Kulick went to the tiny village of Gapun in New Guinea to document the death of the native language, Tayap. He arrived knowing that you can't study a language without understanding the daily lives of the people who speak it: how they talk to their children, how they argue, how they gossip, how they joke. Over the course of thirty years, he returned again and again to document Tayap before it disappeared entirely. Here he takes us inside the difficult-to-get-to village of two hundred people in the middle of a tropical rainforest. In doing so he looks at the impact of Western culture on the farthest reaches of the globe. -- adapted from jacket