No es un deporte de riesgo

The Innocent Anthropologist #3

by Nigel Barley, Marco Aurelio Galmarini (Translator)

Este libro delicioso es un híbrido de relato de viaje y estudio etnográfico sobre el singular pueblo toraja, siempre en un tono sarcástico en relación con el engreimiento académico y el frío distanciamiento del antropólogo convencional. Como brillante broche final, el tiempo que los artesanos toraja pasan en Londres mientras construyen un granero de arroz para el Museo de la Humanidad ofrece al autor una extraordinaria oportunidad para observar tanto el comportamiento de éstos en un medio nuevo para ellos como los juicios que la vida londinense provoca a su mirada curiosa de miembros de una cultura completamente extraña. Una especie de inversión de la experiencia antropológica que corona admirablemente la notable calidez humana que impregna las páginas de todo este libro.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Anthropology, Asia, Humor, British Literature, Memoir

276 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published January 1, 2012

About the author

Born 1947. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Ba...

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is an anthropologist who submerses himself in an anything-but-objective way into the lives of the people he is studying. I don't know if this makes him a good scientist or not, but it does make him a very amusing writer.

He is so full of good will and good humour and a desire to do right by his subjects that he goes as far as bringing them over to London to build a traditional rice barn in a museum. These people live very untechnological lives where traffic, fast food, sprung mattresses and a life ruled by the clock are foreign concepts. So, in a way, the roles were reversed, and they got to study us too!

[Paul Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nigel Barley is one of the drollest, most rueful, most self-deprecating and all-round most charming of people – he’s an English anthropologist who writes funny books about his experiences in obscure parts of the world – the two I already read, “The Innocent Anthropologist” and “Ceremony”, were about life in Cameroon, Western Africa, both are RECOMMENDED and will make you howl. This one is about the Torajans of Indonesia.

I give you a couple of examples.

It is always slightly shocking to be in a country where Christianity is regarded as a serious religion and not a mere euphemism for godlessness. (p48)


At a cock fight, the crowd are unhappy.

”They want their money back,” explained Johannis. “That man shoved a broken chilli up his bird’s bum.” P107


There is an account of a Torajan funeral. This happens years after the person has actually died. After death the body is wrapped and preserved and kept in the house. During this pre-funeral period the deceased is not considered to be dead but is referred to as “having a headache”, and the preserved body is not afforded any great reverence. Nigel was shown one in a front room of a house. As he was viewing it

a young man entered and reached behind the body until he was lying almost on top of it to pull forth a cache of cassettes stored there.

He finds the Michael Jackson cassette he was looking for and leaves the rest of them tipped all over the corpse of his relative. Kids these days, huh? No respect.

Nigel conceives the idea of organising a team of four Torajan rice barn builders to travel to London and build one of these magnificent elaborately carved barns inside the Museum of Mankind.



The last third of the book is a lovely account of what happened, how the Torajans coped with London, what they thought of the west. He says that you can never predict what people from another culture will find particularly noteworthy in your own. The Indonesians were not impressed with the Houses of Parliament or St Paul’s, but they loved the London dogs – so many different types! Very intriguing also was that Britain at that time (late 1980s) had two female rulers, The Queen and Mrs Thatcher.

”It is like the Minang people of Sumatra,” they opined with appropriate ethnographical example. “There it is the women who own everything and the poor men are sent abroad to work for them. You are just like them. We are sorry for you.”

This is a lovely book, and again, I recommend it.

When your laughter fades, though, other thoughts assail your mind, thoughts of a darker hue. What is anthropology? Here’s one way of thinking about it: did anyone from the Fulani tribe in Cameroon ever come over on a university bursary and study how people in Oxford, England live and their curious circumcision ceremonies where the male post-graduate students become junior professors? No, I don’t think so. This traffic is all one way. The white people go and study the non-white people.
What did they used to say? First came the explorers, then the missionaries, then the traders, then the army. After that you were zipped up and your country turned pink on the map, a smiling part of the great British Empire.

Jomo Kenyatta summed up what the missionaries did :

When the white man came to Africa, we had the land and they had the Bible. Then they taught us to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them again, they had the land and we had the Bible.

As time passed, anthropologists, being scientists, found themselves, to one degree or another, assuming the missionary position. Being asked by the imperialists what this or that tribe was like, how they could be dealt with in order to get the oil or rubber or whatever and not provoke a war, for instance.

But even without any imperial taint, isn’t the very concept of going and studying the tribes invidious? I do admit it is fascinating and worthwhile but I can’t shake the idea that it’s the human version of what David Attenborough does with marmosets and flamingos. These remarkable exotics and their plumage and their habitat and their mating rituals. It’s the same thing. But like Pope said, (Alexander, not The), the proper study of mankind is man, and anthropologists are very proper people. But they make me think about certain unavoidable facts of human life which are uncomfortable. Uncomfortably close to racism, that is.

In Civilization: The West and the Rest that handsome devil fast-talking snake-oil salesman Niall Ferguson confronts the issue – how come technological and economic progress happened here, in the West, and not there, in the South and East? He tells us that in 1800 seven out of the ten largest cities in the world were in Asia. Peking was bigger than London. One hundred years later only one was Asian, all the rest European or American. (Note : In 2012 seven out of ten are Asian again. New York is the only Western city in the list.) So when a brave academic goes off to study some head-hunting tribe in deepest Borneo, there’s a kind of acknowledgement of profound difference going on, the kind of difference that was keenly appreciated, indeed institutionalised, in apartheid South Africa. Anthropology is no doubt populated with the nicest, most treehuggingest, most anti-racist of academics, and yet, they are studying and analysing what makes people different in a less-developed, remote, alien kind of way. They study what are called primitive cultures, that used to be the term. Probably now called traditional cultures.

After a trip to Soho :

Karre began to enquire about the activities of “hostesses”. When informed of probable prices, however, he was scandalised.

“I could get a buffalo for that – quite a pretty one."

[César Lasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nigel Barley, el autor del divertidísimo "El antropólogo inocente", no decepciona en la amena divulgación de su ciencia. En esta ocasión, viaja a la isla de Sulawesi en Indonesia en busca del pueblo toraja. Allí transcurre la mayor parte de este libro tierno y entretenido, no exento de su habitual sentido del humor. Y, como colofón, se lleva durante tres meses a cuatro toraja a Londres para que construyan un granero de arroz en un museo. El choque cultural y la interesante capacidad de adaptación de los toraja no tiene desperdicio.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

According to Nigel Barley’s insurance company, anthropology was not considered ‘a hazardous sport’. This was reassuring to know as the small print had been as unhelpful as ever. Whilst he now knew it wasn’t a sport that didn’t seem to make it any less hazardous given the number of drugs he had spread out in front of him. However, he now had it in black and white before setting off to Indonesia. He was heading to the island of Sulawesi to live amongst the Torajan people for the next few months and actually following the advice that he gave to students, that you should partake in fieldwork in places where the inhabitants are beautiful, friendly, where you would like the food.

Landing at Jakarta airport he headed to the queue for those with no visa, having been assured by the embassy in London that he would not need one. The official behind the desk frowned, then grinned and he was waved through. Tired he heads to the hotel and settles down to sleep, but at 4.30 in the morning his peace is shattered by the call of the muezzin, as five mosques in the vicinity called the faithful to prayer. To reach where he was staying though would involve further travels by boat, but he finally arrives on the island where the Torajan live.

Trying to understand the people he was with and what made them do certain things in a particular way and their own rituals lead to a series of amusing stories of his time on the island, the funniest of which was the antics when he was on a horse! In a nice touch and a touch of reverse anthropology, Barley invites four of the Torajan carvers to London to build a traditional rice barn at the Museum of Mankind. As you can imagine, the questions that they had about our society were as numerous as the questions that he had about theirs.

Of the three of his that I have now read, I thought this was my favourite. Written with the same wit and self-deprecating humour as the others, you can see how his writing has strengthened over the three books too. This, along with The Innocent Anthropologist and A Plague of Caterpillars are a little more in depth than the regular travel books, but that doesn’t make them any less fascinating way of learning about another culture and people.

[F.E. Beyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about a challenging but rewarding trip to the highlands of Sulawesi. Barley nails what it's like to ride trucks and horses on bad roads. A no holds barred look at anthropology fieldwork, this is in the tradition of Tristes Tropiques but with British humour. Although this 1980s trip to the Toraja highlands to watch their death festivals was arduous, the modern world got there before Barley - often in the worst possible ways like condoms on the beach and a local man named after Hitler. Once there, he deals with the difficulties of being the centre of attention in remote villages where children and domestic animals run around in the mud. The Torajans come out well here for their friendliness and from the suspicion inhabitants of mountain backwaters have a much fuller life than people in cities like London. Describing the master carvers of Toraja, Barley gives us a glimpse of the pleasure work can provide - something largely lost to us.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! Traditionally the anthropological book is crammed full of facts, whether important or not, there is no humour and it's as if the anthropologist is having to prove his worth. Nigel Barley's approach, the humour, the go-with-the-flow approach to travel and the bonding with those he meets makes this far easier to read. Right from the beginning you start to chuckle as Nigel explains this trip was inspired by his insurance company stating that anthropology is not a hazardous sport. Nigel does not shy away from any challenge, no matter how dangerous the situation is and with the bus drivers in Indonesia the situations can be pretty dire.

After travelling around for a while he meets up with a young lad called Johannis and finally he finds his focus for this book. He meets up with some brilliant characters, my favourite has to be Nenek, such a cheeky old man with his own wicked sense of humour. Whilst staying with these people Nigel gets inspired to organise the building of a rice barn at a museum in London, the book then becomes hilarious as anthropology is turned on it's head and the Torajans explore London and Nigel is constantly questioned by them. Their discovery of dog walkers in a park had me laughing my head off.

This is a well written, hilarious, at times moving book and the best thing I've read by Nigel Barley so far. It comes highly recommended by me.

Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2019...

[WaldenOgre · Rating 4 out of 5]

单从人类学的角度来看，本书的深度应该是不如前作《天真的人类学家》的；而单以好笑的标准来衡量，似乎也是如此。

本书前5章，与其说是人类学作品，不如说是一位人类学家的游记作品，读着难免令人有些失望。之后的5章，由于正式踏入了托拉查人的地域，才渐入佳境起来。最后的第11章，才是我最喜欢的部分。它几乎是一部通常的人类学作品的镜像：4名托拉查人千里迢迢去到了伦敦。我们的日常生活借由他们的视角成为了被审视的对象，从而透出了别样的趣味和思考。

而本书短短7页的后记，和《天真的人类学家》中的“黑白人”那个章节一样，弥漫着一种淡淡的哀伤：那些传统的世界正在或者已经不可避免地消失了。在这个崭新的地球村里，我们彼此至少在表面上变得越来越相似。这是一种无法阻挡的趋势，也是一种令人心痛的告别和损失。

[Missy J · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* rounded up to 4.

I picked this book up to learn more about Toraja. Besides Java and Bali, there are so many other islands to explore in Indonesia. Unfortunately, this book wasn't exactly what I expected. It isn't bad, but it's just not the book to read if you want to learn about Torajan culture.

This book is a very personal account of the author. He is a trained anthropologist who did his field work in West Africa. However, a change in research project brought the author to South East Asia and later in Indonesia. The author is quite honest when he says it was much easier for him to make friends in Indonesia than it was in West Africa. We are talking about the 80s here.

The first third of the book is basically his preparation and then journey from London all the way to Jakarta. Next stop Surabaya. Next stop Makassar. And only after that, do we reach Toraja land through a strenuous horse ride that takes several days. I found the writing of the author somehow mystical and a bit difficult to follow. The tone is definitely comedic and he recounts highly personal experiences. But even though he was recounting everything in a chronological manner, it was still difficult for me to grasp what was going on. Somehow his experience was very out of this world.

But I enjoyed reading different parts of the book. Especially when he meets Yohannis and his grandfather Nenek. This book highlighted the warmth and humor of Torajan people (although I always remember that Indonesian people have a tendency to be extra friendly to white people than to their own). Anyway, the book felt like a love letter from the author to the Toraja people.

What I know about the Toraja people prior to reading this book is that they are one of the many Christian minorities in Indonesia, they have complex funeral rites, they dig up their deceased relatives and perform a ceremony in which they change the clothes of the deceased. The author describes some of these ceremonies in the book but he really doesn't go into the details. So, if you want to read a book about Torajan culture, this really isn't the right book.

The author was very impressed by how Torajan men built and carve their famous "alang" (rice barns). He has the idea to bring Nenek, Yohannis and two other men to London, where they would showcase in a museum how a rice barn is built in a span of 3 months. This was a very touching part of the book because you get a glimpse of how Torajan people view Western society and culture. Overall, this was a very quick read but not the sort if you really want to learn about Toraja.


Beautiful seko mandi cloth from Toraja

[Berta Temboury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como el primer libro de Barley, un pequeño diario entretenido sobre las aventuras de un antropólogo, esta vez en Indonesia, y más tarde en Londres cuando se trae a parte de la tribu para que le ayude a construir una exposición en el Museum of Mankind.
Me ha hecho ilusión leérmelo mientras estaba en Indonesia porque he entendido muchas cosas de las que hablaba, especialmente del carácter de los Indonesios y sus costumbres que pueden parecer extrañas para nosotros los occidentales, y también muy curioso ver como ellos se desenvuelven cuando vienen a occidente.

[Matteo Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chissà qual è l’idea che si ha dell’antropologo, come professione, intendo; immagino dipenda dal tipo di antropologo col quale siamo entrati in contatto (direttamente o indirettamente). Di certo possiamo attribuire a questo indefesso lavoratore una serie di caratteristiche che ci aspettiamo debba avere, non so, curioso, studioso, professionale, capace di osservare con acutezza i fatti, competente negli strumenti che l’antropologia gli mette a disposizione, non timoroso dell’alterità, affascinato da tutto ciò che l’uomo è stato in grado di produrre, dai linguaggi sino ai rituali, dalle medicine “autoctone” ai sistemi di credenza, non schizzinoso, avendo messo in conto che c’è sempre, nella sua professione, da alzarsi le maniche della camicia e c’è sempre da sporcarsi – non in senso offensivo, ovviamente – nella e con l’alterità, facilmente adattabile alle situazioni che gli si presentano innanzi, a volte ingegnandosi nell’elaborare soluzioni adatte alle circostanze “problematiche”. Molte altre possono essere le caratteristiche che saremmo portati ad attribuire alla figura di antropologo. Ebbene, nei suoi scritti Nigel Barley, antropologo che lavora al Museum of Mankind del British Museum di Londra, ci spiazza, perché spesso mette in risalto come l’immagine che abbiamo dell’antropologo sul campo, mentre si sta sporcando (a volte anche letteralmente) le mani, non coincide con la realtà fattuale. Certo le caratteristiche sopra menzionate devono essere presenti, ma a quelle si aggiungono la facilità di essere ingannati, le gaffe – e Barley ne fa tantissime nei suoi viaggi –, il dover sopportare puzza, sporcizia, posti non confortevoli, zanzare – mamma mia quante! –, lungaggini burocratiche, scherzi, etc… Insomma, ciò che emerge non è certo un’immagine di antropologo idilliaca, bensì di una figura lavorativa che cerca di interagire con un’alterità che, proprio come i membri della popolazione della quale l’antropologo fa parte, è variegata e si esprime nella diversità che caratterizza i singoli individui membri della specie umana.
Ora, tutto questo lo viviamo con Nigel Barley grazie al suo resoconto del viaggio-studio-ricerca in Indonesia, nell’isola di Sulawesi, presso la popolazione dei Toraja, intitolato “Uno sport poco pericoloso”.
Come potete facilmente immaginare le complicazioni emergono sin da subito, da quando cioè il viaggio in Indonesia deve essere organizzato… I fondi di ricerca da trovare – una rarità –, oppure un operatore poco affidabile di un’agenzia di viaggi non molto ben gestita che fa temere per la futura incolumità della propria persona una volta che l’aereo decolla da Londra per l’Indonesia, o, ancora, il trovare una cartina geografica dell’Indonesia usufruibile una volta giunti lì, che, a quanto pare, è ancora più rara dei fondi di ricerca…
Complicazioni si riscontrano poi una volta che si incontra la suggestiva Indonesia: pratiche burocratiche da sbrigare, che sembra che quelle italiane al confronto siano sbrigate in modo più che celere, l’interazione con gli indonesiani che parlano solo indonesiano e sapere sì e no quattro parole spiccicate, attraversare le strade, dovendo gettarsi con la speranza che non ti investano, trovare un albergo decente, (a spese sue) credere ciecamente nella sincerità degli indonesiani... A tal proposito, Nigel racconta un episodio – sì, una delle sue gaffe. “Mi capitò a Djakarta. […] In numerose città di Giava la musica, la danza e gli spettacoli di marionette attirano sempre un pubblico importante. Avevo sentito parlare di una compagnia di “wayang orang”, una forma di teatro basata, come per le marionette, sugli antichi testi hindu, ma dove i personaggi sono interpretati da veri attori. Piet [un suo conoscente indonesiano] mi aveva vivamente consigliato di andarci. «È affascinante. Le donne sono particolarmente buone, ma sono tutte interpretate da uomini. Non si vede la differenza.» […] Uno degli attori, molto amabile, mi invitò ad andare ad assistere dietro le quinte al trucco dei suoi colleghi. Al mio ingresso mi rivolsero un gioioso saluto con la mano, poi si misero a ridacchiare spalmandosi gli uni gli altri un fondotinta chiaro. In un angolo, uno degli uomini che aveva un ruolo femminile si dipingeva il viso con cura.
“Il “wayang orang” è estremamente esigente da un punto di vista fisico, poiché gli attori devono imitare i movimenti rigidi e stilizzati delle marionette. Alcuni si tenevano in piedi sulla testa, altri si riscaldavano come atleti. Un po’ più lontano un’orchestrina provava. Desideroso di mostrarmi educato mi complimentai con il travestito per la qualità della sua imitazione. Nella sicurezza di questo spogliatoio rigorosamente maschile feci notare che i suoi seni erano particolarmente convincenti.
“Cadde il silenzio. L’attore arrossì furiosamente.
“«Ehi, sta parlando a mia moglie», disse calmo un uomo. Riparai nella sala balbettando delle scuse, giurando di strozzare Piet, se l’avessi rivisto. Mi sentivo veramente molto male, un occidentale grossolano e impacciato, della peggior specie. Di colpo fui incapace di interessarmi all’opera e fui felice quando giunse il momento di partire.”
Questo episodio riportato dovrebbe rendere conto di quanto ho cercato di dire poco più sopra: anche l’antropologo, per quanta esperienza abbia, nell’incontro con l’alterità può trovarsi spiazzato, goffo, impreparato o impacciato…
Questo è ciò che più mi piace del libro di Barley: l’aver messo in luce ciò.
Non vi racconterò alcunché dei Toraja, nella speranza che queste poche righe vi abbiano convinto a intraprendere questo interessante viaggio ricco di humour insieme a Nigel Barley, e soprattutto perché vi rovinerei la sorpresa di scoprire una cultura affascinante, con i suoi riti, le sue tradizioni, le sue cosmogonie, minate dal diffondersi del cristianesimo che si è sostituito o si è intrecciato a vecchi sistemi di credenza oramai fatti sopravvivere da vecchi membri di quella popolazione rigidamente legati (per fortuna) alle loro antiche usanze e credenze.
Ciò che risulta di grande interesse – questo posso dirvelo – è che alcuni membri della popolazione Toraja, grazie quasi a uno scambio culturale, giungeranno in Inghilterra, a Londra, per conto del Museum of Mankind, affinché lascino lì qualcosa di caratteristico della loro cultura, e questo avvenimento fa sorgere a Nigel e a noi una serie di riflessioni per nulla banali e di grande interesse: ad esempio, l’incontro con una realtà che non coincide con la nostra rende alcuni elementi di quella realtà, che a loro paiono insignificanti o privi di qualche interesse, interessanti per noi, così, come dice Barley, “[è] impossibile indovinare cosa i rappresentanti di un’altra cultura trovino interessante nella vostra.”
Ma la riflessione che tutti noi dovremmo fare, anche se non siamo antropologi, è quella che Barley esplicita con queste parole: “È difficile proteggere delle persone in un mondo che non comprendono senza essere accusati di paternalismo, o lasciar loro prendere delle iniziative senza essere accusati di sconsideratezza. Trattarli come si tratterebbero degli inglesi sarebbe una forma di imperialismo culturale, insistere sulla loro differenza sarebbe razzista. Chiedere ai membri di un’altra cultura di “mettersi in scena” sembra umiliante per loro, mentre non sembra essere lo stesso per gli artisti di casa nostra. […] È importante organizzare un’esposizione che non si accontenti di «prendere» qualcosa a un Paese del terzo mondo, ma che difenda un talento minacciato.”
Mi sono accorto, leggendo questo libro, che gli antropologi sono individui sul filo di lama, perché se da un lato cercano di conoscere le diverse forme in cui la produttività umana si è data, dall’altro rischiano sempre di essere visti come messaggeri di un imperialismo che si potrebbe pensare non si è concluso, ma ha assunto semplicemente nuove forme – anche se evidentemente, ai nostri occhi, non è così –, e questo diviene ancora più esacerbato quanto più le due civiltà che si incontrano, impersonate dall’antropologo, da un lato, e dalle popolazioni oggetto di studio, dall’altro, risultano essere quelle che quell’imperialismo lo hanno, rispettivamente, portato avanti e subìto in un tempo passato.
“Il mondo [– come dice Barley –] è cambiato, ma i rapporti di potere sono rimasti.” Se si aggiunge una frase (che riporto a braccio) di Renato Rosaldo, anche lui antropologo, che diceva “nessuna cultura può dirsi innocente”, allora capiamo quanto complesso è l’incontro con l’alterità allorquando ci portiamo dietro un bagaglio così pesante…
Ne consiglio dunque la lettura a tutti coloro che fattivamente o meno ritengono di avere le caratteristiche dell’antropologo che ho elencato più sopra, e in particolare a chi, nonostante il bagaglio del quale non può liberarsi, non ha tema di incontrare l’alterità ed è perciò affascinato dall’orto dell’altro, anche se questo orto e questo altro dovessero trovarsi a migliaia di chilometri di distanza da noi.

[Avie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too damn funny for anthropology haha. An anthropologist friend of mine introduced Barley to me some years ago. He liked "The Innocent Anthropologist," I thought it was okay. Somehow I felt Barley didn't like the Africans he studied all that much. This book is waaay a lot funnier. According to me lah. Bias as an Indonesian and all. I read somewhere that Barley now divides his life between England and Indonesia. Can tell that he's lost to us, the hugging and crying sentimental Indonesians, hehehe.

[Michael Bohli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nigel Barley ist ein Anthropologe, einer der wunderbar unterhaltsame Bücher schreibt, der seine Erlebnisse mit viel Humor darlegt und damit immer unterhält. Die Reise nach Indonesien ist von Beginn an ein flottes und frisches Buch, die Begegnungen und Momente werden extrem amüsant dargeboten.

Dass man dabei auch noch vieles über die Kulturen und den Schwierigkeiten bei solchen Begegnungen erfährt, spricht für Barley. Grossartig wird das Buch gegen den Schluss, wenn sich eine Gruppe Indonesier nach London aufmacht. Der Spiess wird nun umgedreht, das Logische wird das Unlogische.

[Dennise Ardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in anticipation to my first ever trip to Toraja (or East Indonesia since i've not venture that far east of the archipelago). The book was written sometime ago in an amusing way. It provides a glimpse to the strange but interesting cultures of the people in Toraja as well as its natural beauty. Would recommend the book as a starter guide to Toraja.

[Evandruker · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative and entertaining account of the travels amongst the Toraja people of Sulawesi, by British anthropologist Nigel Barley in the 1980’s, the aim of which was to create an installation of a traditional rice barn in London’s Museum of Mankind (now part of the British Museum).

[Sara Fernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nigel Barley es la mejor opción para viajar desde casa en esta cuarentena <3

[E.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

因为阅读起始于新学期开始前，期间半年没再翻开过，最后终止于考试结束后，对前面部分印象已然不深了，但依稀记得没有第一部精彩，不然也不会就留一个尾巴。不过最后一部分在伦敦大英博物馆复现谷仓和后记还是很精彩的。十分欣赏内内克——年长却依旧充满活力的大脑，敢于尝试新鲜事物！与第一部被改变的人类学家不同，这次是人类学家引发了改变，唏嘘却无标准答案。
谷仓实物图 https://www.britishmuseum.org/collect...

[Ryan Murdock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a Hazardous Sport brings to a close Nigel Barley’s series of anthropological journeys that began with The Innocent Anthropologist and continued in A Plague of Caterpillars.

This time, he leaves Africa behind and sets his compass for the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, where he hopes to live among the Torajan people, mountain pagans known for their elaborate ancestor cults and traditional buildings.

This final volume is also closest of the three to what most readers would think of as travel literature.

The events of the first two books were set entirely in Cameroon, apart from brief opening and closing scenes in England, and they dealt with the struggles of the anthropologist to come to grips with fieldwork among an alien tribe.

With Not a Hazardous Sport, the first 50 pages are taken up with getting to Barley’s area of research. He struggles through a transit layover in still-Soviet Russia, courtesy of a cheap Aeroflot ticket, and continues onwards to Singapore. After a brief stop in search of cheap air tickets and transvestite prostitutes in Bugis Street, he continues to Jakarta, gravely offends a puppeteer, and makes his way down the island of Java by bus. In Surabaya he secures passage on a boat to Ujung Pandang, the capital of Sulawesi. And only then does he make his way to the highland village where he will meet his Torajan informants.

In the highland area where he hopes to conduct fieldwork, Barley confronts an issue common to so many travelers who try to get off the heavily beaten tourist track: finding the familiar where he expected the exotic. “I had not come so far to meet Christians,” he writes, “to see people who doggedly refused to accept the picturesqueness I wanted thrust upon them. Where were their strange customs and odd rites?”

You’ll find the author’s trademark debunking of anthropological tropes here, too, and if you’re an independent traveler, many of them will hit home.

He writes, “There is a tradition in anthropology that the amount of physical suffering of the researcher is a measure of the value of his data. Like many other presuppositions, it is tenacious in the face of good negative evidence.”

This is just as true of travel, and Barley goes on to examine our tendency to never take a place at face value, to always search for something that lives up to our stereotype of the world, or that is diametrically opposed to the world of home we’re trying to escape.

“Another such idea is that, beneath the complex surface where traditional and modern meet, there lies a layer of real ethnography, the pure uncorrupted Indonesia. If you can only get far enough from towns, you will surely find it.”

As he discovers in the villages and towns of Sulawesi, real life is a blend of the traditional and the modern. And that clash is often at its most vibrant in urban areas.

Barley’s observations are filled with humour, and also great truth. “For a Westerner,” he writes, “life in Indonesia is a series of blows to the head.”

Anyone who has lived in Asia and is close to our above six feet tall will relate to this. I can’t count the number of times I nearly knocked myself unconscious passing from the living area to the kitchen of my Tokyo flat. I’m sure many more incidents were blotted out by traumatic brain injury.

This book — and the trilogy — ends by turning the anthropological lens back on ourselves, as Barley brings three Torajan carvers and his assistant to London in order to build a traditional rice barn inside the Museum of Mankind.

That closing chapter is a comic masterpiece. I won’t comment on it further except to say you really must read it for yourself. A description would only rob it of humour.

This was my favourite volume of Barley’s trilogy of anthropological journeys. All three books are filled with honesty, humour and keen observations. But Barley has really hit his stride in this last instalment. His writing is perfectly polished, he’s honed in on his style, and every image is infused with humour and originality.

[Jackie Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

First published in 1988, Not a Hazardous Sport by Nigel Barley offers an account of the author’s travels to and around the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. For a few months he lived amongst the Torajan people, known in academic circles for the carvings on their buildings and their traditional ancestor culture. Barley interacts mostly with the men and this is reflected in the narrative. As an anthropologist he is there to observe. To get the most from the book the reader would be advised to set aside certain western sensibilities – something I struggled with. I baulked at many of the attitudes described, especially towards women. Certain incidents involving animals were also upsetting.

The author travels to Indonesia to undertake ethnographic fieldwork. Funds are limited so he travels economically. His preparations and the journey, although undoubtedly trying, are recounted with humour. A stopover in Singapore, where he stays with a Malay family, includes a visit to a red light district much to the discomfort of his hosts. This set the scene for conversations that would occur throughout the book. Women are sexually objectified, expected to produce babies and look after the home, children and the men. Whilst recognising that this was the accepted culture I would have liked to read of the women’s thoughts on how they were treated and if they desired change.

Indonesia is described with fondness despite its dangerous transport, mosquito infestations and often uncomfortable accommodation. The author describes the people as largely welcoming – impressive given the appalling behaviour of other tourists. He visits several villages, befriending those he meets and staying in their homes. The exchange rate makes him comparatively wealthy and he enjoys his ability to pay generously for services rendered.

The book is written as a series of descriptions of journeys and encounters. I found the cock fight episode distressing – I suspect the author wished to demonstrate the humour of the situation. A ritual he attended that required the killing of a buffalo offers up a picture of a painful and drawn out death for the poor animal, yet this entertains the local children. In a later chapter a bus driver deliberately runs over a puppy.

Other behaviours described increased my distaste for these men. They would wake up each morning and noisily clear mucus and phlegm from noses and throats – not a scene I want to have in my head. It was, of course, interesting to learn of western habits that they observed with similar disgust. My recoil is not an attempt to take any sort of moral high ground.

At the time of writing Indonesia was changing. Many traditional beliefs were being abandoned for Christianity. Buildings with galvanised iron roofs rather than bamboo tiles were regarded as modern. Woven cloaks coloured with plant dyes were no longer as popular as those made from rayon.

Following his stay the author invites a small group of men to travel to London and build a traditional rice barn at the Museum of Mankind. The final chapter describes the reaction of these Indonesians to English habits and behaviour. Their experiences have repercussions when they return to their country.

Although well written and witty in places, I struggled to engage with the author’s portrayal. He may have been fond of those he met, impressed by their openness and welcome; my reaction was largely negative. I would have preferred a more rounded representation of a country populated by more than just men. From an anthropological point of view there is much of interest. As a casual reader I was put-off Indonesia.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

> Airports are the deceitful but unavoidable purveyors of our first impressions of another part of the world.

A book of platitudes like that. But, wait, the guy is a professional so he knows better.

And even if you get past the worthless observations, the book is filled with the usual institutionalized racism and politically correctness. "relatively unknown" meaning irrelevant for other rich White people. But hey, anything is good when you have to make a career on the taxpayer's money. And look, he is so gentle. The guy needs underpants, but he has blended so well with the savages he would call them "inner clothes". Get it? Only a long education paid by others and the smarts of the White male can get you that far.

Also, at the end I missed the point. So the culture is strongly corrupted by the Europeans and Christianity, to the point where the only way to tell what is local is by making comparison with the current Western societies. Which still does not tell you much about how the people over there have lived. And it won't tell much about the lives of the people living there a mere century later. So, besides the White male making a cool trip, what was the point? A Nobel Prize for being heroic enough to wash the underpants by hand?

[SSC · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was first published in eighty-eight and close to thirty years later I can attest that road infrastructure in Sulawesi remains poor, the scene of the minivan hurling on unpaved roads is familiar and the number of mosques and churches built and under construction seems disproportionate given the (small) size of the local communities.

This book promises fascinating insight into the Toraja and fails to deliver. Seventy eight pages in and the author is still on his way to Sulawesi. Indonesians that have helped the author to Sulawesi are mentioned casually and every other child he encounters begs for money. Mentions of split pants on trishaws and wading in open sewers, seem pointless. Referring to his guide in Mamasa as a gnome is unkind. There are redeeming parts, namely Nenek and I had to smirk at the author's great expectations regarding Mamuju...having been there.

Sulawesi is a beautiful island with multiethnicities, languages and religions. The author has missed an opportunity to reveal to the reader about these peoples. It would be a more interesting story than that presented.

[MarinaNiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro es maravilloso, estoy enamorada de la forma de escribir de este señor. Es tronchante, tierno, instructivo, entretenido, todo a la vez. Confieso que me ha llevado más de un año terminar este libro, pero ¿sabéis ese tipo de lecturas que dejas en la mesita de noche para leer sin prisas? ¿Esas que puedes aparcar durante meses y luego retomar sin problemas? No es una lectura adictiva, pero en el buen sentido: no hay ansias, ni estrés. Puedes leer tres páginas y apagar la luz. Es una obra de antropología, y muy curiosa, pero explicada de una forma tan amable que se vuelve aún más interesante.

Y el humor de Barley. Pocas cosas hay en este mundo tan deliciosas como el humor de Nigel Barley. Por sutil y a la vez por transparente, porque respira inocencia y un enamoramiento ante el mundo y todos los seres humanos que es precioso. Y paro ya porque empalago.

PD: Qué ganas ahora de leer "El antropólogo inocente", aunque me lleve años.

[Gambling25ca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why should we be aware of the terms? - Part One

New players to online betting often face obstacles at many bookmakers, which come in the form of various terms that ultimately take time to learn. This, in turn, makes it much easier for them to place special types of bets, combinations, etc. And if you want to know everything about online Canadian gambling sites, then use our guide to choosing online bookmakers!

In this article, we have tried to collect the most commonly used terms in online betting, so when you encounter difficulties during the game, you can review the list below. We also provide some betting tips to give you a complete picture of what you are doing.

We have tried to cover most of the common terms from the best bookmakers, so read on.

Accumulator (long-term bets): This is a bet where the player makes a combination of events within one chip. The player wins the bet if he guesses all the events.

This is actually a very dangerous bet and if you don’t have a strategy, you should very rarely use it.

Bookmaker: A licensed company (see here) that is authorized to carry out gambling activities in the area of ​​the issued license. Bookmakers operate in two main ways: online and through land-based points of sale. At bookmakers and points, you can bet on various sporting events, casinos, slot machines and other types of gambling.

Ante Post: can be translated as “before the event”. Bets placed in advance. If you are betting on a horse race and you bet on a specific horse and it competes in several races scheduled at approximately the same time, the bet will be registered for the race you have chosen.

Asian Handicap: Asian Handicap betting can be very valuable. But only if you understand what it is!

This type of bet basically consists of collecting different points so that one team leads the match. For example, if the away team is given a +1 goal advantage, the home team must score 2 goals to win. However, if there is a draw, the player gets his bet back.

In betting, handicap means the same thing: the bookmaker offers to add a positive (plus) or negative (minus) handicap to one or another team. If we choose a positive handicap, this means that we add a certain number of goals to the team, and if we choose a negative one, we deprive the team of a goal. Read more about the importance of the Asian handicap in predictions and how to calculate bets.

Cash out: Betting exchanges have revolutionized sports betting. The principle of auctions and the possibility of exiting at any time immediately attracted the attention of many private owners. In this regard, classic bookmakers have decided to offer similar services to their clients.

The Cash Out feature allows the player to withdraw their money at any time after placing a bet. The exit amount is calculated in a specific way and gives you the opportunity to exit the game with minimal losses or take your winnings before the end of the sporting event.

Price Rush: This option is currently not offered by all providers. The feature allows you to bet with the maximum odds and the system will automatically find the highest possible odds for your bet on your exchange.

For example, if your ticket is for a draw bet and the odds are 9.0, then after pressing the "bet" button, the operator will use Price Rush to search for higher odds for this match and if it finds one, it will give it to you. The opposite cannot happen, so you can rest assured.

Odds: Odds reflect something very important – the probability of the outcome of a given event. Understanding the process of calculating decimal odds is the first step in making your own judgment about the correctness of the bet you have made.

Understanding the odds system is a difficult task that every novice bettor has to face. What are the odds and how to understand how much the winnings are and what we get when we bet one or another amount? Finding the answers to these questions, the player gets the opportunity not only to compare the odds of different bookmakers, but also to look at his bet from a different perspective. It is not enough to simply know what the odds and bets are. In fact, you need to be able to predict what the likely outcome of the event will be. You can read more on this topic in our publication on calculating odds for sports betting and their types.

[Wonderland Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Al leer la sinopsis de este libro, pensé que se detallaría un estudio antropológico de una forma pesada y seria, centrándose sobre todo en datos científicos. Sin embargo, es de mi agrado decir que me encontré con todo lo contrario. Barley nos cuenta de forma amena, sencilla y con varios toques de humor (donde a veces no falta el sarcasmo), las aventuras de un antropólogo que decide hacer trabajo de campo en un país exótico y todos los descubrimientos del grupo étnico que allí encuentra.
Si hablamos en términos generales, puedo decir que el libro me gustó bastante. Me resultó interesante el conocer nuevas costumbres o rutinas que no se parecen a la nuestras. No obstante, he de admitir que la introducción, antes de llegar a los Sulawesi, me resultó un tanto extensa. Pero quitando este hecho, lo demás me ha parecido de lo más enriquecedor.
Personalmente, las mejores partes del libro son aquellas en las que Barley establece relaciones cercanas con los indonesios, a los que describe como hospitalarios, cálidos y amistosos.
Cuenta, por ejemplo, la necesidad que sienten los indonesios de abrazar. Esto se debe a que desde que los niños son bastante pequeños, se les tranquiliza con una almohada pesada y se les anima a abrazarla hasta que se duermen (y siguen así hasta que se casan). Esto hace que lo indonesios se sientan algo inquietos si no están abrazados a algo, por lo que incluso se les puede ver abrazados a farolas o esquinas. Sin duda un hecho que me resultó bastante curioso.
También hubieron varias situaciones divertidas que fueron de mi agrado, sobre todo al final del libro, cuando se produce el intercambio de roles, siendo los Toraja los que se tienen que adaptar a la vida de Londres.
Me ha gustado conocer un nuevo grupo étnico y poder conocer más sobre ellos. Me resulta asombroso cómo nuestra cosmovisión es tan diferente a la nuestra y me preocupa que debido a la globalización puedan llegar a perder muchas de sus costumbres.
Me pareció peculiar la forma en la que los Toraja ver el mundo de los muertos, ya que permanecen en sus casas con los cuerpos difuntos de sus familiares hasta que pueden sepultarlos con una gran fiesta (para la que pasan años para recaudar el dinero suficiente). También me impactó el hecho de que fuera necesario sacrificar algunos búfalos y cerdos para poder llevar a cabo la fiesta del entierro; y el hecho de que esos familiares que mueren pueden estar junto a su familia entre uno y diez años.
En conclusión, este ha sido un libro que me ha gustado mucho y que sobre todo me ha hecho reflexionar sobre nuevas culturas, nuevas formas de ver el mundo. Me ha hecho preocuparme por todas esos grupos étnicos, ya sean minoritarios o no, que se ven influenciados por la cultura egoísta occidental y que pueden llegar a ser absorbidos. Los Toraja han sido un pueblo que ha conseguido llamar mi atención, y del que deseo que el turismo en aumento que les visita, no llegue a cambiar sus costumbres. Y por último, me ha gustado la forma con la que Nigel Barley nos cuenta su experiencia, sin atender a prejuicios.
Sin duda, un libro que recomendaría a muchas personas de mi entorno por todo el contenido que podrían llegar a aprender.
Para cerrar esta reseña, añado una cita del libro que me pareció bastante interesante y da paso a la reflexión:
“Lo cierto es que a menudo el trabajo de campo, más que proponerse la comprensión de otras culturas, es un intento del investigador por resolver sus propios problemas personales. Es frecuente que en el ámbito de la profesión se considere una panacea para todos los males”

[JaumeMuntane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

Disfruté tanto en su día con "El antropólogo inocente" que voy a intentar leer el resto de libros de Barley. Con "No es un deporte de riesgo" tenía altas expectativas, especialmente por las singularidades del pueblo toraja y su particular relación con la muerte. Por desgracia creo que el libro se queda corto: la parte introductoria, antes de llegar a Sulawesi, es para mi gusto demasiado larga y, en cambio, creo que las singularidades del pueblo toraja podrían haber ofrecido más explicaciones y anécdotas. En todo caso, una prosa amena y divertida.

[Henry Tilney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thoughtful, intelligent and Engaging Book

This is a wonderful book with Nigel Barley’s signature style. At one level, it is as light as a soufflé: witty, funny and shrewd. It is also profound and challenging. Barley is able to capture the moment an ancient culture trembles and changes forever. The writer manages to assert both the professional detachment of the scholar with the deep humanity of the friend. It’s a joy to read and a pleasure to engage in the author’s journey.

[Mergenc Pater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ez a könyv egy tünemény; kicsit olyan, mint Durrell, csak emberekkel* - szóval egy kis kulturális imperializmus azért van benne, de az talán elkerülhetetlen is.
Epizodikus, csapongó, vicces, érdekes, hülye aki nem olvassa.

* Tudom, jó? :)

[Elisa Martínez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esa antropología romántica que se cuestiona a sí misma y se reconstruye. Una etnografía sumamente ingeniosa y divertida. Acompañada de la reflexión sobre el colonialismo, paternalismo y la razón de ser de la antropología. Maravilloso texto.

[Story · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling to Indonesia with Nigel Barley. His great descriptions, his self-deprecating humour and his obvious affection for the people he met made this a wonderful armchair adventure. I can't wait to read more by him.

[HansBlog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kracherte Schenkelklopfer-Eskapaden. Meine ausführliche dt. Besprechung ist hier: http://hansblog.de/kritik-sachbuch-ha...

[Eddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and entertaining, hilarious at times, but also has some serious underlying points about the relationship between anthropologists (and the west generally) and people from other countries - friends, specimens, performers, complicit, unknowing?