Publications in Ethnography

This book describes the cultures of two closely related language groups in the Peruvian Amazon: the Shipibo and Conibo. It shares personal observations of their subsistence and economic, social, and political organization. The book also looks at their view of medicine, the supernatural, and discusses their life cycles.

The Norsk Høstfest: A Celebration of Ethnic Food and Ethnic Identity Paul Thomas Emch SIL International* and the International Museum of Cultures Publications in Ethnography 41. What does it mean to be Norwegian-American? This study, of interest to laymen and scholars alike, answers this question by examining the prominent traditions and functions of food at the annual Norsk Hostfest celebration held in Minot, North Dakota. In this book, the author uses anthropological methodology to demonstrate the ways in which the Norsk Hostfest serves as a celebration of what it means to be Norwegian-American. There are many powerful symbols of ethnic identity in evidence at the festival, but food is the most pervasive, and so it is the chief symbol examined in this study. The Norsk Hostfest not only allows for the maintenance and celebration of Norwegian-American culture, but it synthesizes the forces of globalization, localization, and ethnicity in order to keep Norwegian-American ethnic identity alive and vital in a changing world. Norwegian-Americans of all ages who want to better understand their own culture will find this book both intriguing and informative. Students of food, culture, and ethnic identity, will find the application of symbolic anthropology useful. Paul Emch completed his M.A. in cultural anthropology at North Dakota State University in 2006. He currently serves as an intercultural community worker and anthropology consultant in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Misunderstood: one thing foreigners never want to be! But Africans and Westerners, interpreting the world through different cultural lenses, misunderstand each other with alarming regularity. This is sometimes funny, sometimes scandalous, but always damages credibility. This book is designed to promote cultural competence among Westerners working in Africa and among Africans living in the West. Cultural competence-knowing what one needs to know to act in a manner acceptable in a society-is the first step to credibility and the surest antidote to being misunderstood. DiGennaro creatively introduces dialog between two fictitious characters: Juma as the African voice, and Wesley as the Western voice. They articulate their culture's perspectives on seven themes, themes which were identified by Westerners in Africa and by their African co-workers, as the most chronic points of cross-cultural stress: organization, finances, friendship, spirituality, communication and conflict, leadership, and work. Easy to read and broad in approach, this book is ideal for North Americans and Europeans who desire to expand their appreciation and comprehension of Africans' social reality. Debbi DiGennaro (M.A. in Social Work, The Ohio State University) moved to East Africa in 2008. She leaned heavily on her training in social sciences to facilitate her understanding of work and relationship patterns in Africa. Based in Nairobi with her family, DiGennaro currently leads the regional team of a faith-based NGO.

Based on in-depth fieldwork, research, and personal interviews, this comprehensive ethnographic study of the Bajju people of southern Kaduna State in Nigeria covers their origins, history, culture, religious beliefs, and practices. Bajju precolonial political-religious organization, economy, legal system, social organization, and values are described. Also included are chapters on the Hausa-Fulani, the colonial context, the Christian era, and cultural change. Ethnologists, missiologists, development personnel, and the Bajju themselves will find this a rich resource. For me as a Bajju scholar, this study is as important as E. E. Evans-Pritchard's classic study, Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande (1937). For that reason, all Bajju sons and daughters must read this important work (from the foreword by Dr. Samuel Waje Kunhiyop). Baranzan's People: An Ethnohistory of the Bajju of the Middle Belt of Nigeria is a companion volume to Bajju Christian Conversion in the Middle Belt of Nigeria, published by SIL International® 2019.

As governments, corporations, and settlers race to take the world's forests for their own, what happens to the indigenous peoples who live there? Are they at the mercy of overwhelming forces, destined to lose livelihood, identity, and respect as they are dispossessed and assimilated? This account of the Dulangan Manobo-an indigenous people of the Philippines whose rainforest homeland is being appropriated by loggers and settlers from the country's dominant society-explores how one embattled society is changing its social organization to withstand outside forces. Environmental Invasion and Social Response examines the evolution of coordinated action among the Manobo, from its roots in religious response, through the development of numerous civil organizations, to its culmination in the emergence of indigenous land rights organizations. Despite government favoritism toward loggers and settlers-longstanding enemies of natural forests-the Manobo have continued to develop new social structures for cooperation in pursuit of rights to their ancestral homeland. The success of their efforts will play a large part in determining the forest's future-destruction at the hand of outsiders, or effective and sustainable management by those who have always lived there.

How did two very different language communities encounter and make early choices about Christianity? This book is a historical record of the Dagomba and Konkomba people groups of Northern Ghana as they embraced the Bible translated into their mother tongues. Author Dr. Sumani Sule-Saa employs Professor Lamin Sanneh's groundbreaking hermeneutic of 'mission as translation' as a grid to examine the effect of Bible translation on the lives of these two very important language groups. Sule-Saa first presents a brief history of the Dagomba and Konkomba and describes their very different societal structures. He analyses early Christian mission involvement and documents the role of two Bible translation agencies among these people groups. Through a number of case studies he illustrates the positive impact of the Bible in their mother tongues. Woven throughout, Dr. Sule-Saa discusses to what degree the Christian faith has been indigenised into the ethos and behaviour of the Dagomba and Konkomba. Theological students and those interested in missions will find this book relevant as it deals with missiological issues and serves as a reference on the establishment of Christianity among the Dagomba and Konkomba. Its multi-disciplinary approach will also appeal to a wider audience.