Headhunter's heritage; social and economic change among the Mundurucú Indians

Murphy, Robert Francis

Book

Headhunter's heritage; social and economic change among the Mundurucú Indians

University of California Press • Berkeley • Published In 1960 • Pages:

By: Murphy, Robert Francis.

Abstract
This source is a sociological oriented study and analysis of the effects of social change on the economy and social structure of Mundurucu society. The agents of social change, as represented in this source, are primarily the trader and missionary both of whom are of non-Indian origin. In his preliminary discussion of the Mundurucu, the author gives a brief resume of the culture history and ethnology of the Indians, with special emphasis on the Indian-White contact period, Mundurucu economy, kinship and marriage, the local group, social solidarity and social fission within the group, and changing settlement patterns, resulting from Mundurucu acculturation. A very thorough and scholarly analysis of the effects of social change on traditional Mundurucu society summarizes and concludes the work. The material on which this source is based was gathered by the author, a professional anthropologist, and his wife during a field trip to the Mundurucu Indians of the Tapajos River area in 1952-53.

History

Acculturation and culture contact

Sociocultural trends

Functional and adaptational interpretations

Settlement patterns

Social relationships and groups

HRAF PubDate

2003