Coaxing the Spirits to Dance explores the relationship between social life and artistic expression since the nineteenth century in one of the most important art-producing regions of Papua New Guinea. It includes a stunning presentation of hand-carved and hand-painted ancestor boards, masks, drums, skull racks, and personal items. Each society on the Papuan Gulf had its own elaborate traditions of carved, painted, or decorated masks, boards, and hand drums that filled the men's longhouses for use in dances and performances. Today these art objects offer a glimpse into the varied cosmologies and ritual lives of these surprisingly diverse societies before they were changed significantly through their contact with the West.

Coaxing the Spirits to Dance explores the relationship between social life and artistic expression since the nineteenth century in one of the most important art-producing regions of Papua New Guinea. It includes a stunning presentation of hand-carved and hand-painted ancestor boards, masks, drums, skull racks, and personal items. Each society on the Papuan Gulf had its own elaborate traditions of carved, painted, or decorated masks, boards, and hand drums that filled the men's longhouses for use in dances and performances. Today these art objects offer a glimpse into the varied cosmologies and ritual lives of these surprisingly diverse societies before they were changed significantly through their contact with the West.

The Routledge Companion to Global Indigenous History presents exciting new innovations in the dynamic field of Indigenous global history while also outlining ethical, political, and practical research. Indigenous histories are not merely concerned with the past but have resonances for the politics of the present and future, ranging across vast geographical distances and deep time periods. The volume starts with an introduction that explores definitions of Indigenous peoples, followed by six thematic sections which each have a global spread: European uses of history and the positioning of Indigenous people as history’s outsiders; their migrations and mobilities; colonial encounters; removals and diasporas; memory, identities, and narratives; deep histories and pathways towards future Indigenous histories that challenge the nature of the history discipline itself. This book illustrates the important role of Indigenous history and Indigenous knowledges for contemporary concerns, including climate change, spirituality and religious movements, gender negotiations, modernity and mobility, and the meaning of ‘nation’ and the ‘global’. Reflecting the state of the art in Indigenous global history, the contributors suggest exciting new directions in the field, examine its many research challenges and show its resonances for a global politics of the present and future. This book is invaluable reading for students in both undergraduate and postgraduate Indigenous history courses.

Includes detailed chapters devoted to each of the five major cultural regions of the Pacific: Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and the islands of Southeast Asia.

An engaging explanation of Oceanic art and an important gateway to wider appreciation of Oceanic heritage and visual culture

Explore the living tradition of trance dancing, the practice of connecting with the subtle energies and secret knowledge of spirits through rhythmic movement to music. Written by an expert teacher who has trained and performed with top dancers in Paris, London, and Cairo, this meticulously researched, hands-on book delves into the history and modern practice of ecstatic dance. Discover a range of religious and spiritual trance dance traditions—from Egyptian zar ceremonies to Sufi whirling dervish techniques—and the entities you can contact through them. You’ll also find a detailed how-to section that provides a safe, effective, and fun way to connect with the ethereal realm from within your own home. Praise: “This is a must-read book. Keep Ms. Henkesh’s book in your reference library for the well-researched richness of its information and its understanding of the many types of zar.”—Sahra C. Kent (Saeeda), dance ethnologist and founder of Journey through Egypt “Yasmin writes beautifully and with great joy. She has done impressive research . . . into the mystifying corners of the supernatural and into the remarkable interfaces between body and mind.”—Robert Lebling, author of Legends of the Fire Spirits “Through a deep exploration of myth and science, history and belief, [Henkesh] reveals a compelling insight into these unusual yet ancient practices. Definitely a valuable resource.”—Laura Tempest Zakroff, fusion and sacred dance pioneer, performer, instructor, and author of The Witch's Cauldron