A Death in the Rainforest : How a Language and a Way of Life Came to an End in Papua New Guinea

During the past 30 years, Kulick, professor of anthropology at Sweden's Uppsala University, has lived intermittently in Gapun, a small, remote village in Papua New Guinea. Shifting between big themes and small vignettes, he immerses the reader in the life of the village and its history. He explains the decline of the Tayap language, never spoken by more than a few hundred and now eschewed by village youth, and recounts the challenge of learning Tayap from Raya, a cantankerous old villager who complains about Kulick's cooking.

Expanding his viewpoint, Kulick explains the unique meaning of language in Papua New Guinea, the most language-rich country in the world, where its most spoken language today, Tok Pisin, emerged from the exploitation of colonialism. In this captivating narrative, the author considers complex questions about race and power in anthropological research, the nature of relationships among very different people, and the challenges of living in such a demanding environment. Kulick's engrossing, thought-provoking, and transporting chronicle will be enjoyed by National Geographic fans and all readers interested in cultural investigations.