The Ecology of Power: Culture, Place and Personhood in the Southern Amazon, AD 1000-2000

by Michael J. Heckenberger

In 1884 a community of Brazilians was "discovered" by the Western world. The Ecology of Power examines these indigenous people from the Upper Xingu region, a group who even today are one of the strongest examples of long-term cultural continuity. Drawing upon written and oral history, ethnography, and archaeology, Heckenberger addresses the difficult issues facing anthropologists today as they "uncover" the muted voices of indigenous peoples and provides a fascinating portrait of a unique community of people who have in a way become living cultural artifacts.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Archaeology, Ethnography, Nature, Science

430 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2003

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

An academic rather than a popular work, it describes the author's archeological researches in the Amazon, an outline of the human history in that part of Brazil over the last 1000+ years, an anthropological survey of the present inhabitants' way of life and some of the beliefs behind it, and issues in the scholarly community that impact his findings and interpretation. There is quite a bit of Foucaultanesque jargon, which must be current in anthropology, but he gives his plain meaning in parentheses in many places. I was disappointed that more wasn't said about women except that they are subordinate to men (although they can be chiefs, an inherited aristocratic position). Perhaps as a man he could not get that information, or it did not interest him. It is a dry book for those wanting a lot of scholarly detail, otherwise I would stick to popular accounts such as in Charles Mann's 1491 or the lecture in the Great Courses "Lost Worlds of South America" on the Amazon. 3-1/2 stars. Glad I read it, though.

[Sheila]

too deep for me!