Eskimo essays : Yup'ik lives and how we see them /

An excellent example of the new interpretive ethnographies becoming commonplace in anthropology today. The Yup'ik Eskimo, located in the relatively plush environment of Western Alaska, have been virtually ignored by anthropologists, yet their culture retains many features of what is considered traditional "Eskimo." Fienup-Riordan explores Yup'ik meaning through an analysis of cosmology, history, ritual, and social relationships. This ethnography smoothly weaves together a variety of themes--fieldwork, Yup'ik worldview, cultural change, missionization, human-animal relationships, warfare, moviemaking--all in an attempt to present how the Yup'ik see the world around them and what it means to them. Thus, Fienup-Riordan seeks to dispel the myths that have been built up about the Eskimo as the "original ecologists," who were nonaggressive with communal ownership of property and who lacked government and leadership. She further examines the invention of traditions by the bearers of the culture and by outsiders who attempt to explain why the society functions as it does. Well written; good illustrations. Recommended for all libraries. K. M. Weist University of Montana