The Savage and the Innocent

As an account of the travels and adventures of a British anthropologist (now at Harvard) and his family among some of the most isolated South American Indian tribes, the Chavante and the Cherente, this book has few equals. The writer has the ability to sense the dramatic in his experiences and describe them in a clear and fluid style. On these merits alone the book would not warrant notice in a scholarly publication, but the writer has recorded many detailed descriptions and penetrating insights into the personalities of the Indians and their disintegrating culture that are of value to the social scientists. In particular, the book is a case history of the losing struggle of hunting cultures being overwhelmed by modern civilization. By force of habit the hunters futilely continue to pursue almost nonexistent game in a territory now encroached upon by modern Brazilian cattlemen and trading communities. In order to survive at all the Indians are forced to play the role of deceitful beggars ready to take advantage of the good nature or naiveté of travelers and Brazilians in their area. Although the writer is able to instill in the reader a sympathy for these Indians, he is much too realistic to propose any solution that could possibly halt or improve the life of these dying people with their traditional hunting culture basically unadaptable to contact with a modern economy or incorporation in it.