In this remarkable story of one man s encounter with an
indigenous people of Peru, Michael Brown guides his readers upriver
into a contested zone of the Amazonian frontier, where more than
50,000 Awajun renowned for their pugnacity and fierce independence
remain determined, against long odds, to live life on their own
terms.
When Brown took up residence with the Awajun in 1976, he knew
little about them other than their ancestors reputation as fearsome
headhunters. The fledgling anthropologist was immediately impressed
by his hosts vivacity and resourcefulness. But eventually his
investigations led him into darker corners of a world where
murderous vendettas, fear of sorcery, and a shocking incidence of
suicide were still common. Peru s Shining Path insurgency in the
1980s forced Brown to refocus his work elsewhere. Revisiting his
field notes decades later, now with an older man s understanding of
life s fragility, Brown saw a different story: a tribal society
trying, and sometimes failing, to maintain order in the face of an
expanding capitalist frontier. Curious about how the Awajun were
faring, Brown returned to the site in 2012, where he found a people
whose combative self-confidence had led them to the forefront of
South America s struggle for indigenous rights.
Written with insight, sensitivity, and humor, Upriver "paints a
vivid picture of a rapidly growing population that is refashioning
its warrior tradition for the twenty-first century. Embracing
literacy and digital technology, the Awajun are using hard-won
political savvy to defend their rainforest home and right of
self-determination."
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