Yanomami anthropology and Sister Rosetta Tharpe
No, I’m not going out on a limb to try and connect these two fascinating subjects. Just a couple of iPlayer recommendations for UK readers.
The Secrets of the Tribe
This is an excellent documentary on the anthropological scandals and conflicts surrounding the Yanomami in the Amazon—famed for their bellicosity and tenacious resistance to contact with the modern world.
I covered some of this subject matter in my short study War & the Noble Savage (now available as a free PDF). So, without wanting to go to far into things here, here’s my key observations:
- I’m not sure what to make of Patrick Tierney, author of Darkness in El Dorado. He comes across OK here, but my research indicated that his book was quite misleading.
- That said, his exposé of abuses by (chiefly) Napolean Chagnon, James Neel and Jacques Lizot are a classic case of “no smoke without fire”. This documentary has its faults, but it seems to make clear that Tierney wasn’t entirely off the mark.
- I think R. Brian Ferguson is given short shrift, and his theoretical dispute with Chagnon (which I believe raises more serious problems with Chagnon’s work than comes across here) plays second fiddle to Chagnon’s camera-friendly rhetoric. Do check Ferguson out if your interest is piqued.
- Damn, is there a way in which we haven’t fucked up the Amazon?
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
I’ve never really heard of this amazing singer before. Hugely influential on early rock ‘n’ roll, she carved a remarkable career for herself, starting out in church gospel, then finding work in New York nightclubs, but never really abandoning her gospel roots. This is well worth a watch.