داستان‌هایی از سرزمین باستان: دیدگاه‌هایی دربارهٔ تاریخ و فرهنگ وا

The Wa people have a rich civilization of their own, and a deep history in the mountains of Southeast Asia. Their mythology suggests their land is the first place inhabited by humans, which they care for on behalf of the world. This book introduces aspects of Wa culture, including their approach to the world's troubles and the lessons others might learn from it. It also presents a new interpretation of Wa headhunting, questioning explanations that see it as a primitive custom, and instead placing it within the fraught history of the last few centuries. CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION Sources, History, Issues 1 GIFTS AND DEBTS Fieldwork in the Wa Lands 2 NAMING ONESELF, NAMING THE WORLD 3 RICE BEER AND THE MAKING OF WA SOCIALITY 4 MINING, HIERARCHY, AND THE ANTI-STATE WA 5 SLAVERY AS A THREAT TO THE IDEOLOGY OF KINSHIP 6 WAR, HEADHUNTING, AND THE ERASURE OF WA HISTORY 7 BARBARIAN RUSE Playing with the Fears of the Civilized 8 DISEASE AND DEATH IN THE PERIPHERAL SITUATION 9 HOPE AGAINST HOPE Border Prophets and Foreign Saviors 10 THE POWER OF THE EXOTIC Negotiating the Future EPILOGUE Dark Clouds Gathering REFERENCES INDEX "The Wa people have a rich civilization of their own, and a deep history in the mountains of Southeast Asia. Their mythology suggests their land is the first place inhabited by humans, which they care for on behalf of the world. This book introduces aspects of Wa culture, including their approach to the world's troubles and the lessons others might learn from it. It also presents a new interpretation of Wa headhunting, questioning explanations that see it as a primitive custom, and instead placing it within the fraught history of the last few centuries"-- Provided by publisher