Rick Williamson is an explorer. He travels lightly, alone,
through the jungles of the Solomon Islands. He has seen what no other
civilized man has seen because he immerses himself. He listens, watches,
and accepts.
This, Williamson’s first book, is a highly literate and
very personal telling of his visits to the Solomon Islands from 1993
though May 2001, and his efforts to document a cannibalistic pygmy tribe
living deep in the jungle amidst the rugged heart of Espiritu Santo.
Shedding my morals and beliefs became a necessity
each time I immersed myself into their sometimes cruel and unsympathetic
society. They live in a timeless world that’s filled with complex
traditions that were totally devoid of compassion or compromise for my
lack of understanding, especially if I accidentally breached one of the
numerous tribal laws.
Williamson adapts, which includes letting go of the white
man’s idea of hygiene and acceptable food sources.
While we sat and talked outside in the sun, one of
the villagers slowly brushed his hand across the back of a contented
looking piglet that was comfortably nestled in his lap. Each time he
plucked a plump blood-gorged louse from amongst the bristle he slipped
it into his mouth.
In one village, Williamson is adopted as a member of the
tribe and is taught the rituals of kastom, the religion of the Solomon
Islanders.
I was surprised and relieved when he pushed the thorn
into his own flesh then set it alight. It glowed a bright red as it
seared into his muscle, and after it festered and formed a scab the
wound would heal into the bulu scar. A boy receives his first bulu when
he’s about five to seven years old... A spirit that will help to protect
the child from evil spirits enters each wound, so the more bulus he
receives, the more resilient he becomes to the devils that roam the
jungle.
Williamson is not just an observer. He takes his
relationships with his friends and kastom very seriously, with great
respect, and these stories go far beyond – and much deeper – than any
anthropological field study. One might marvel that these complex primitive
societies still exist in our world, but the real marvel is that there is a
man like Williamson among them.
|
View Large