Skip to content

Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon Paperback - 2003 - 1st Edition

by Allen Johnson


From the publisher

The idea of a family level society, discussed and disputed by anthropologists for nearly half a century, assumes moving, breathing form in Families of the Forest. According to Allen Johnson's deft ethnography, the Matsigenka people of southeastern Peru cannot be understood or appreciated except as a family level society; the family level of sociocultural integration is for them a lived reality. Under ordinary circumstances, the largest social units are individual households or small extended-family hamlets. In the absence of such "tribal" features as villages, territorial defense and warfare, local or regional leaders, and public ceremonials, these people put a premium on economic self-reliance, control of aggression within intimate family settings, and freedom to believe and act in their own perceived self-interest.

Johnson shows how the Matsigenka, whose home is the Amazon rainforest, are able to meet virtually all their material needs with the skills and labor available to the individual household. They try to raise their children to be independent and self-reliant, yet in control of their emotional, impulsive natures, so that they can get along in intimate, cooperative living groups. Their belief that self-centered impulsiveness is dangerous and self-control is fulfilling anchors their moral framework, which is expressed in abundant stories and myths. Although, as Johnson points out, such people are often described in negative terms as lacking in features of social and cultural complexity, he finds their small-community lifestyle efficient, rewarding, and very well adapted to their environment.

First line

Although The Matsigenka have, perhaps for millena, occupied a historically important crossroads, their practice appears to have been to minimize contact with the larger world rather than to confront and try to control it.

From the rear cover

"This is a brilliantly conceived and well-written ethnography."--Kenneth M. Kensinger, author of How Real People Ought to Live: The Cashinahua of Eastern Peru

Details

  • Title Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon
  • Author Allen Johnson
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition number 1st
  • Edition 1
  • Pages 275
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher University of California Press
  • Date 2003-04-15
  • ISBN 9780520232426 / 0520232429
  • Weight 0.89 lbs (0.40 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.98 x 6.1 x 0.69 in (22.81 x 15.49 x 1.75 cm)
  • Reading level 1260
  • Library of Congress subjects Amazon River Region - Social life and customs, Machiguenga Indians - Kinship
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2002018748
  • Dewey Decimal Code 305.898

About the author

Allen Johnson is Professor of Anthropology and Psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles. His previous books include The Evolution of Human Societies, 2nd Edition (with Timothy Earle, 2000), and Oedipus Ubiquitous (with Douglass Price-Williams, 1996), which won the 1997 Boyer Prize.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Families of the Forest : The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon

Families of the Forest : The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon

by Allen Johnson

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780520232426
ISBN 10
0520232429
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.74
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of California Press, 2003. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$7.74
FREE shipping to USA
Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon

by Allen Johnson

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780520232426
ISBN 10
0520232429
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$10.06
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of California Press, 2003-04-15. Paperback. Good.
Item Price
$10.06
FREE shipping to USA
Families of the Forest : The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Families of the Forest : The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon

by Johnson, Allen

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9780520232426
ISBN 10
0520232429
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Dunfermline, Fife, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$18.78
$10.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of California Press. Used - Very Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
$18.78
$10.00 shipping to USA
Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon

by Johnson, Allen

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780520232426
ISBN 10
0520232429
Quantity Available
1
Seller
San Diego, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$25.99
$4.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of California Press, 2003-04-15. Paperback. New. 8x6x0. New.
Item Price
$25.99
$4.99 shipping to USA
Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon

Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon

by Allen Johnson

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780520232426
ISBN 10
0520232429
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$36.64
$12.71 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Paperback / softback. New. Deals with the idea of a family level society, discussed and disputed by anthropologists for nearly half a century. This work states that the Matsigenka people of southeastern Peru cannot be understood or appreciated except as a family level society; the family level of sociocultural integration is for them a lived reality.
Item Price
$36.64
$12.71 shipping to USA
Families of the Forest – The Matsigenka Indians of  the Peruvian Amazon
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Families of the Forest – The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon

by Allen Johnson

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780520232426
ISBN 10
0520232429
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$41.37
$12.77 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Univ of California Pr, 2003. Paperback. New. 1st edition. 275 pages. 9.00x6.00x0.75 inches.
Item Price
$41.37
$12.77 shipping to USA
Families of the Forest – The Matsigenka Indians of  the Peruvian Amazon
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Families of the Forest – The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon

by Allen Johnson

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780520232426
ISBN 10
0520232429
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$53.96
$12.77 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Univ of California Pr, 2003. Paperback. New. 1st edition. 275 pages. 9.00x6.00x0.75 inches.
Item Price
$53.96
$12.77 shipping to USA
Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon

by Johnson, Allen

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780520232426
ISBN 10
0520232429
Quantity Available
5
Seller
campbelltown, Florida, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$51.00
$15.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of California Press, 2003-04-14. paperback. New. 6x0x9. Brand New Book in Publishers original Sealing
Item Price
$51.00
$15.00 shipping to USA
Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Families of the Forest: The Matsigenka Indians of the Peruvian Amazon

by Johnson, Allen

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780520232426
ISBN 10
0520232429
Quantity Available
1
Seller
San Diego, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$61.64
$5.45 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of California Press, 2003-04-15. Paperback. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title!
Item Price
$61.64
$5.45 shipping to USA