Coming Up
p. 95 · Read in the full issue
The Australian National University, in association with the Melbourne University Press , will shortly be publishing Dr.
Marie Reay’s treatise on the Kuma people of the New Guinea Western Highlands—the first book length study in English of a Highland people.
Marie Reay became well known to a lot of Territorians—white and brown, during her time in the Territory, and what she has to say about the primitive people amongst whom she lived for 15 months will be read with in terest.
Men dominate the Kuma society and they have two obsessions: women and pigs. In that they are not too different from civil ised men, except the latter are not so interested in pigs.
The Kuma women resent being regarded as “property”, sc the result is “strain, tension and dis harmony”. All very anthro pological—still, it could be the theme for a modern novel. The book should be available later this month.