The Beauty Of The Primitive

Publisher description

For the past forty years shamanism has drawn increasing attention among the general public and academics. There is an enormous literature on shamanism, but no one has tried to understand why and how Western intellectual and popular culture became so fascinated with the topic. Behind fictional and non-fictional works on shamanism, Andrei A. Znamenski uncovers an exciting story that mirrors changing Western attitudes toward the primitive. The Beauty of the Primitive explores how shamanism, an obscure word introduced by the eighteenth-century German explorers of Siberia, entered Western humanities and social sciences, and has now become a powerful idiom used by nature and pagan communities to situate their spiritual quests and anti-modernity sentiments. The major characters of The Beauty of the Primitive are past and present Western scholars, writers, explorers, and spiritual seekers with a variety of views on shamanism. Moving from Enlightenment and Romantic writers and Russian exile ethnographers to the anthropology of Franz Boas to Mircea Eliade and Carlos Castaneda, Znamenski details how the shamanism idiom was gradually transplanted from Siberia to the Native American scene and beyond. He also looks into the circumstances that prompted scholars and writers at first to marginalize shamanism as a mental disorder and then to recast it as high spiritual wisdom in the 1960s and the 1970s. Linking the growing interest in shamanism to the rise of anti-modernism in Western culture and intellectual life, Znamenski examines the role that anthropology, psychology, environmentalism, and Native Americana have played in the emergence of neo-shamanism. He discusses the sources that inspire Western neo-shamans and seeks to explain why lately many of these spiritual seekers have increasingly moved away from non-Western tradition to European folklore. A work of intellectual discovery, The Beauty of the Primitive shows how scholars, writers, and spiritual seekers shape their writings and experiences to suit contemporary cultural, ideological, and spiritual needs. With its interdisciplinary approach and engaging style, it promises to be the definitive account of this neglected strand of intellectual history.

This classic work in the anthropology of law offers ambitiously conceived analyses of the fundamental rights and duties treated as law among nonliterate peoples. The heart of the book is an analysis of the law of five societies: the Eskimo; the Ifugao; the Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne tribes; the Trobriand Islanders; and the Ashanti.

The growing field of rug hooking offers styles for every taste, and a favorite among hookers is the antique-looking primitive rug. One of the great voices in primitive rug hooking, Cynthia Norwood shares her knowledge based on 35 years of experience, study, and design success, and makes primitive rugs accessible for the 21st century hooker. • What makes a good primitive rug--basic techniques, patterns, colors, and designs • Fabric choices and color planning for primitive rugs • Backgrounds and borders to set off your primitive designs • Special primitive rugs for weddings, births, and other family occasions • 7 patterns for primitive rug designs

Well-known primitive rug hookers Jenny Rupp and Lisa Yeago combine their expertise along with the talents of 22 others to bring you an exciting variety of hand-hooked projects. Now, with the introduction of Designs for Primitive Rug Hookers, brought to you by Rug Hooking magazine, these easy-to-follow projects become clear for the novice as well as the most experienced rug hooker. Free pattern line drawings and complete material lists are included for each project to help get you started. Projects range from pillows and mats to table runners, an eyeglass case, a tea cozy, belts, and more. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to hook these unique primitive rugs today.