To Hunt in the Morning

by Janet Siskind

An American anthropologist describes her experiences living among the Sharanahua Indians of eastern Peru, providing insight into their daily routine, mores, and attitudes toward the woman's role in the tribe

Genres: Anthropology

Paperback

First published April 3, 1975

Reviews

[Bob Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, sensitive, and interesting ethnography

I read this ethnography many years ago, but it has always stayed with me. At that time I lived and worked in Australia, where study of Amazon peoples never loomed large, so I don't know if Siskind's work was more popular in North America. I have never met anyone else who read this book, but that is the world's loss. What impressed me about TO HUNT IN THE MORNING was the author's sensitivity and realism toward the Sharanahua, a small group of "pacified" Indians living in the Amazon forest of eastern Peru. She went there to study certain problems in the area of medical anthropology, but her book brings the whole experience alive. Siskind covers such standard topics as kinship, household, village, and the social change that took place after their "submission" to the outside world. This well-written, clear volume also covers shamans, healing, ritual, and interesting aspects of interpersonal relations. There are a number of photographs. I especially liked the author's depiction of the unequal relations between the Sharanahua and the Peruvians of the small river towns; she did not hide from this troublesome theme by describing only jungle life. But most of all, I remember her most poignant words, "The romance of anthropology is to find somewhere else a culture less trammeled than our own. The reality of anthropology is to take part in learning to break its confines." At some time during anthropological field work, if you do it wholeheartedly, you come face to face with yourself and ask the fateful questions, "Who am I ? What kind of person am I ?" Should you try to impose your views on others ? Or should you help them to achieve what they want even if you doubt its worth ? If you want to read a solid ethnography or just an interesting book about a faraway culture, a book that looked at women's issues when that was not so much a la mode, written by a person who asked the tough questions, read TO HUNT IN THE MORNING.

[Regina]

This is a text book that I bought for my anthropology class at Georgia State University back in the mid 80's. It was one of those required-to-buy books that are never assigned in class. But, since I'd paid for it, I thought I ought to read it, even though it's been twenty years.

The author did field work with the Sharanahua Indian tribe of the Purvis River in Peru. Some of the book was interesting. Some of it was nonsensical.

The title of the book comes from a quote by Karl Marx, but I'm not sure what the author is trying to say. According to Marx, communism allows one "to hunt in the morning and fish in the afternoon" if one desires, as the Sharanahua do. I've never known of a true communist to have such freedom and leisure for one thing, and for another, the author hasn't proven that the Sharanahua are better off for being able to do so.

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet, from the picking circle. Amazing book