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

by Don Kulick Narrated by Paul Woodson

Overview

Renowned linguistic anthropologist Don Kulick first went to study the tiny jungle village of Gapun in New Guinea over thirty years ago to document how it was that their native language, Tayap, was dying. But you can't study a language without settling in among the people, understanding how they speak every day, and even more, how they live. This book takes us inside the village as Kulick 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 swamp, in the middle of a tropical rainforest. These are fascinating stories of what the people who live in that village eat for breakfast and how they sleep; about how villagers discipline their children, how they joke with one another, and how they swear at one another. Kulick tells us how villagers worship, how they argue, how they die. Finally, though, this is an illuminating look at the impact of white culture on the farthest reaches of the globe-and the story of why this anthropologist realized that he had to leave and give up his study of this language.



Smart, engaging, and perceptive, A Death in the Rainforest takes listeners into a world that will soon disappear forever.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

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

“What does it take to study a culture? Anthropologist Don Kulick visited the small village of Gapun in New Guinea on and off for 30 years to study its dying language, Tayap. Blending academic discourse, linguistics and his personal stories about life in the remote community, A Death in the Rainforest illuminates the ways a society can change over time and become swallowed by forces of the outside world.”
—Time

“An important history lesson from an anthropologist who spent three decades watching a language and a people go extinct as the rainforest around them disappeared.”
—The Revelator

“Anthropologist Kulick tells a story of cultural and linguistic transformation and exchange in this clever, empathetic memoir of his time spent in Gapun, a remote village in Papua New Guinea . . . Despite lots of fascinating detail about a culture that appears very different from the modern West, the book concludes with a firm and moving reminder about shared similarities and an exhortation to better honor collective responsibilities. This frank, passionate work will move readers interested in a thoughtful contemplation of culture and globalization.”
—Publishers Weekly

“In this captivating narrative, [Kulick] considers complex questions about race and power in anthropological research, the nature of relationships among very different people, and the challenges of living in such a demanding environment. Kulick's engrossing, thought-provoking, and transporting chronicle will be enjoyed by National Geographic fans and all readers interested in cultural investigations.”
—Booklist

“Kulick . . . wears his scholar's hat casually in this deeply personal, engaging inquiry . . . A sad and uplifting, ultimately poignant exploration.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“[Don Kulick’s] stories of adjusting to daily life in the village are both humorous and compassionate. Throughout his time working in Gapun, he is distinctly aware of the field of anthropology’s conflicting eras of practice, from its colonialist past up to the highly culturally sensitive present. Kulick allows his research to reveal his own cultural bias and acknowledge his privilege; in doing so, he details the reasons that support his theory as to why languages die in a manner that shows strong social responsibility and fairness. Recommended for a readership of varying ages, from young adults with an interest in cultural anthropology to college students and academics.”
—Library Journal

“A book not to be missed . . . Don Kulick looks back at thirty years of research into the death of Tayap, the native language in Gapun, a remote village in Papua New Guinea. His honest account of his work and adventures in this village are no less than fascinating . . . His funny, warm, and at times sad account of the changing way of life in Gapun makes for an informative and unforgettable read, and one that I wholeheartedly enjoyed.

Kirkus Reviews

2019-04-10
How a culture withers and its language is rendered mute.

Kulick (Anthropology/Uppsala Univ.; Travesti: Sex, Gender, and Culture Among Brazilian Transgendered Prostitutes, 1998, etc.) wears his scholar's hat casually in this deeply personal, engaging inquiry into a "tiny windless slit in the rainforest [of Papua New Guinea]…surrounded on all sides by massive trees rooted in a vast, seemingly boundless swamp." A small village of roughly 100 people, Gapun has its own unique language, Tayap. The author renders his academic research in a light, almost novelistic style, with plenty of drama and heartache. He invokes anthropologist Margaret Mead's conviction that we should "learn from difference." From 1985 to 2014, Kulick lived in the village seven times, once for 15 months. The villagers called him Saraki and thought him a dead person, a white ghost, a "harbinger of the change they want so badly." He immersed himself in their lives and culture and learned their unique language, later writing a grammar. The linguistic part of the book may be a bit much for some, but Kulick does a fine job describing the language's origins, how he learned it, and how it differs from the country's national language, Tok Pisin. The author discusses their cuisine, especially their main staple, sago, a raw form of flour, maggot stew, and chewed betel leaves; how they educate and raise their children, never hitting them; their sex practices; and creative swearing, which is mostly done by women. Kulick also recounts a harrowing episode when gunmen from outside tried to rob him and a villager was killed. He understands that they want to change, but he wonders, at what cost? Few now speak their precious and irreplaceable language: The "mighty tree that once was Tayap has been whittled down to a skinny toothpick."

A sad and uplifting, ultimately poignant exploration of a tiny world within a bigger, harsher, and crushing world.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169937558
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	06/18/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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