Iatmul and Sepik River cosmology in late twentieth-century anthropology

Record summary

The Sepik River region, including Iatmul communities, generated continuing anthropological discussion of ritual transformation, ancestors, spirits, naming and initiation. It is relevant to altered-states research because identity change and ceremonial performance can be interpreted psychologically, socially or religiously, with no single framework settling the question. This lead should be anchored to a particular monograph, article or field project from the period. It is a record of cultural traditions and scholarly interpretation, not evidence that ritual performers literally became nonhuman or traveled outside the body.