A Red Woman was Crying edition by Don Mitchell Literature Fiction eBooks
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Beautifully written, evocative, and utterly original, A Red Woman Was Crying takes the reader into the rich and complex internal lives of South Pacific rainforest cultivators - young and old, male and female, gentle and fierce - as they grapple with predatory miners, indifferent colonial masters, introduced religion, their own changing culture, their sometimes violent past, and the “other” who has come to live with them. Don Mitchell’s new collection of short stories, set among tribal people on Bougainville Island in the late 1960s, demystifies ethnography by turning it on its head. The narrators are Nagovisi – and it’s through their eyes that the reader knows the young American anthropologist, himself struggling with his identity as a Vietnam-era American, who’s come to to study their culture in a time of change.
A Red Woman was Crying edition by Don Mitchell Literature Fiction eBooks
”Fireflies killed her” expresses a Nagovisi man’s fear that the world order has been overturned by World War 2, and his anxiety is expressed in tentative, winding dialogue. In Polanara’s understanding, white people always boss black people and if black ever fights white, the whites kill the blacks. Polanara’s wife was killed during World War 2 by a fighter plane that strafed her as she worked in her taro patch. Because the plane did not have red circles on it, they reasoned it was an American plane, but the critical question was “I want to know if the pilot was a black man or a white man.” When Elliot explains that American pilots in the Pacific were always white, Polanara says “If the pilot was black then everything I understand about the world is wrong. But if the pilot was white then the world is as I have always thought it was.” And finally “Then you understand it comforts me, that the pilot was white.”“I don’t kill people anymore” is the headman’s story of his experiences before and during World War 2 as a man suspected of and famed for killing Japanese soldiers and local informants. He tells us he is feared all the more because no one really knows if he killed, why and if he might again. As headman he is concerned about Elliot (the White Man) because he worries that Elliot might be the first of many white people invading his country. He maneuvers Elliot into building his house in the village next to the headman’s so he can hold his possible enemy close. He decides then to talk to him about his killing days, not as a threat, merely as a caution that “only a fool would believe that a man who’s stopped doing something of his own accord would never start doing it again.” Old One (the headman) goes on to explain that most killings between tribes involve people who know each other and for reasons that are known and agreed to by both sides. Elliot had told him about the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, which shocked Old One because the killed people were not known and the killers were killing as many men, women and children as they could - irrationally.
“My White Man” is narrated by Siuwako, the wife of Elliot’s best friend. She has agreed to teach him what he wants and needs to know as an anthropologist, that women do the maintenance of food gardens after men clear the land; that they are responsible for food preparation and domestic chores; that each chore is done in a particular way for good reasons. To conduct his study Elliot must know how to dig potatoes, how to make baskets, how to carry a baby home. She wonders about the effect on him as a man of being taught to do as women do in their matrilineal society. Siuwako struggles to express a point that is only philosophical in Western cultures: that humans have a dual nature of male and female and neither should be suppressed. She patiently explains to him that she has taught him to work as a woman and she regards him as a woman when he does so. But he is also a man and she speaks and works with him as a man when she needs those skills. With some difficulty she makes the point that she is comfortable with him as either man or woman. The overt treatment of the two natures, as identified by Siuwako, disturbs Elliot because in his Western life, he would have been offended if a woman had described their relationship in such a way. This entire conundrum is made more complex by – well, you have to read the story.
I greatly recommend this book. The insights into the Nagovisi culture are the more poignant because they are made through the eyes and feelings of that people. Their views of “Elliot” and whites in general could serve as a comparative sociological study if laid alongside similar views by other cultures.
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A Red Woman was Crying edition by Don Mitchell Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
A Red Woman Was Crying was not only informational, it was also entertaining and well written. The stories definitely keep you engaged and interested. From an educational standpoint, the character Elliot serves as a good model for what an anthropologist should be like. He always seems to be respectful of the Nagovisi culture regardless of how different it is from ours in America; to learn and understand, not to judge is a key part to good anthropology. Elliot also thoroughly practices good participant observation and engages himself in what they do, everything from hanging out and chewing betel to working alongside them in the gardens. The book is also important as it does a good job of educating people on the Nagovisi culture. The traditional cultures of people like the Nagovisi are dying out these days, there is a lack of respect being shown for them, and they are often treated as lesser or undeveloped. Books like this give people an inside look, especially the way they are written from the Nagovisi point of view, and it makes you connect with them.
Such a great look into Nagovisi. It was a great book to read because the author went into detail about how the natives here viewed white people, woman's health, and family. It made me really think about how I view the world and all of our differences. Elliot respected all of the culture's practices and learned more than what he expected to learn. A cool thing I also saw was that the residents of the community were curious and watching every move Elliot made as well because he was a white foreigner. Natives only really hear bad things about white people, as we tend to hear bad things about non-white human beings all the time. Their strong family morals and values are very prominent in this book as well. Parents and siblings are extremely judgmental and look out for their family when it comes to who they date and who they marry. Elliot was hands on through the whole experience, which aided in him learning so much more than just facts, but helped him learn about new values of a culture, new skills, and a new outlook on life. Highly recommend this book to those who are curious about this specific culture or want to learn to understand and respect cultures unlike our own.
Don has a deep knowledge of his subject and great empathy with a little known culture. A pleasure to read.
This is a captivating, well-written book that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. It is a great read!
Don Mitchell's book is a valuable read. It captures the fascinating nuances of a different culture and way of life. Those who have lived among other cultures can see subtle and not so subtle parallels between the people of bouganville and others.
”Fireflies killed her” expresses a Nagovisi man’s fear that the world order has been overturned by World War 2, and his anxiety is expressed in tentative, winding dialogue. In Polanara’s understanding, white people always boss black people and if black ever fights white, the whites kill the blacks. Polanara’s wife was killed during World War 2 by a fighter plane that strafed her as she worked in her taro patch. Because the plane did not have red circles on it, they reasoned it was an American plane, but the critical question was “I want to know if the pilot was a black man or a white man.” When Elliot explains that American pilots in the Pacific were always white, Polanara says “If the pilot was black then everything I understand about the world is wrong. But if the pilot was white then the world is as I have always thought it was.” And finally “Then you understand it comforts me, that the pilot was white.”
“I don’t kill people anymore” is the headman’s story of his experiences before and during World War 2 as a man suspected of and famed for killing Japanese soldiers and local informants. He tells us he is feared all the more because no one really knows if he killed, why and if he might again. As headman he is concerned about Elliot (the White Man) because he worries that Elliot might be the first of many white people invading his country. He maneuvers Elliot into building his house in the village next to the headman’s so he can hold his possible enemy close. He decides then to talk to him about his killing days, not as a threat, merely as a caution that “only a fool would believe that a man who’s stopped doing something of his own accord would never start doing it again.” Old One (the headman) goes on to explain that most killings between tribes involve people who know each other and for reasons that are known and agreed to by both sides. Elliot had told him about the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, which shocked Old One because the killed people were not known and the killers were killing as many men, women and children as they could - irrationally.
“My White Man” is narrated by Siuwako, the wife of Elliot’s best friend. She has agreed to teach him what he wants and needs to know as an anthropologist, that women do the maintenance of food gardens after men clear the land; that they are responsible for food preparation and domestic chores; that each chore is done in a particular way for good reasons. To conduct his study Elliot must know how to dig potatoes, how to make baskets, how to carry a baby home. She wonders about the effect on him as a man of being taught to do as women do in their matrilineal society. Siuwako struggles to express a point that is only philosophical in Western cultures that humans have a dual nature of male and female and neither should be suppressed. She patiently explains to him that she has taught him to work as a woman and she regards him as a woman when he does so. But he is also a man and she speaks and works with him as a man when she needs those skills. With some difficulty she makes the point that she is comfortable with him as either man or woman. The overt treatment of the two natures, as identified by Siuwako, disturbs Elliot because in his Western life, he would have been offended if a woman had described their relationship in such a way. This entire conundrum is made more complex by – well, you have to read the story.
I greatly recommend this book. The insights into the Nagovisi culture are the more poignant because they are made through the eyes and feelings of that people. Their views of “Elliot” and whites in general could serve as a comparative sociological study if laid alongside similar views by other cultures.
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