Showing Signs of Violence : The Cultural Politics of a Twentieth-century Headhunting Ritual

Showing Signs of Violence deals with the ceremonies of pangngae, a mock headhunt that lingers stubbornly at the center of political life in a marginal upland community in Sulawesi, Indonesia. No killing takes place in this ritual—no actual heads are taken—but its rhetoric of violence is unmistakable and real. Kenneth M. George vividly details the rites of pangngae, from the headhunters' secret and predatory journey downriver to the week of public festivity that follows their exuberant return. He puts special emphasis on the songs, speeches, and liturgies of the headhunt and shows how this ritual is neither a relic form of primitive violence nor an obsolete discourse on the social horizons of a remote community. In fact, the themes, purposes, and circumstances of pangngae make it the most public and community-defining form of ceremonial violence for this small mountain enclave as it confronts the dilemmas presented by Indonesian modernity and state culture. Author Biography: Kenneth M. George is Assistant Professor of Social Anthropology at Harvard University. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 7 Maps and Figures......Page 9 Preface......Page 11 Relics from Alien Parts: An intoduction......Page 17 Objects and Encounters: October 1982 and July 1983......Page 22 Recent Commentaries on Regional Headhunting Traditions......Page 26 Violence and Ritual Discourse: Themes, Projects, and Situations......Page 29 A Note on Research in Sulawesi......Page 34 The Mappurondo Enclave at Bambang......Page 37 The People of the Headwaters......Page 42 T he H istory of Bambang in the Precolonial Era......Page 46 The Enclave in the Headwaters......Page 49 The Dutch and Indonesian Periods......Page 52 The Political Stature of the Mappurondo Enclave at Barnbang......Page 55 The Contours of Mappurondo Social Life......Page 57 SETTLEMENT PATTERN......Page 58 ECONOMY......Page 59 KINSHIP, FAMILY, AND HOUSEHOLD......Page 61 MARRIAGE AND INHERITANCE......Page 63 PRESTIGE AND SOCiAL HierarCHY......Page 65 A GLIMPSE AT GENDER RELATIONS......Page 66 MAPPURONDO RITUAL LIFE......Page 70 Defaced Images from the Past: On the Disfigured Histories and Disfiguring Violence of Pangngae......Page 75 Violence, Solace, Vows, Noise, and Song Ritual H eadhunting and the Community in Mourning......Page 117 Envy, Adornment, and Words That Make the Floor Shake Pangngae and the Rhetoric of Manhood......Page 150 From Violence to Memory Singing about Singing as a Headhunt Ends in Song......Page 202 The Songs of the ToSalu and the Tolssilita' The Horizons ofTcxtuality and Interpretation, 1983- 85......Page 217 The Spectacle of Dancing Men Pangngae i.n the Culture of Indonesian Modernity......Page 254 Epilogue The Headwaters, 1994......Page 280 Appendix I Linguistic and Orthographic Notes......Page 289 Appendix II Tables......Page 294 Appendix III Music Figures......Page 300 Notes......Page 305 References Cited......Page 321 Index......Page 339 1. Relics From Alien Parts: An Introduction -- 2. The Mappurondo Enclave At Bambang -- 3. Defaced Images From The Past: On The Disfigured Histories And Disfiguring Violence Of Pangngae -- 4. Violence, Solace, Vows, Noise, And Song: Ritual Headhunting And The Community In Mourning -- 5. Envy, Adornment, And Words That Make The Floor Shake: Pangngae And The Rhetoric Of Manhood -- 6. From Violence To Memory: Singing About Singing As A Headhunt Ends In Song -- 7. The Songs Of The Tosalu And The Toissilita': The Horizons Of Textuality And Interpretation, 1983-85 -- 8. The Spectacle Of Dancing Men: Pangngae In The Culture Of Indonesian Modernity -- 9. Epilogue: The Headwaters, 1994 -- Appendix I: Linguistic And Orthographic Notes -- Appendix Ii: Tables -- Appendix Iii: Music Figures. Kenneth M. George. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 309-326) And Index.