Upriver: The Turbulent Life and Times of an Amazonian People

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 Awaj n--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 Awaj n 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 Awaj n 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 Awaj n are using hard-won political savvy to defend their rainforest home and right of self-determination.

Author: Michael F. Brown
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 09/15/2014
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 8.93h x 5.29w x 1.17d
ISBN: 9780674368071

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2014
Chronicle of Higher Education 09/26/2014 pg. 14
Choice 04/01/2015 pg. 1362

About the Author
Brown, Michael F.: - Michael F. Brown is President of the School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe.