11Story

26 August 2009

Ethnology as an art of living

"We have eaten the forest"

Contents:  "We have eaten the forest"  - Introduction  - Aim of the exhibition  - Synopsis        * Ethnology as an art of living        * The Sar Luk villagers        * A poetic and oral tradition        * Burning the forest of the stone spirit Goo        * Works and days        * Buffalo sacrifice        * Sickness and death         * Sar Luk today  - The purpose of ethnography: an interview with Georges Condominas with Yves Goudineau  - Biography of Georges Condominas  - Main publications

 

Ethnology as an art of living

 

“Ethnology has become a profession, but in the sense of a profession which must be the style of life one has chosen. For me, ethnology is a lifestyle.”

 

Georges condominas' house

 

“I cannot think of that house without emotion, a house where I lived the greatest continuous effort I have ever had to make. And yet I was only part of the house at night. Obviously, I am not speaking of my sleeping there, for the individual is annihilated by sleep, nor of evening gatherings in the longhouses, to attend a ceremony, or because during my previous evening visit one of my hosts had poured out his heart to me, or had kept me there chatting or by the promise of some Mnong text. I am speaking of those evenings when the village, tired out by a long day of particularly hard work, fell asleep as one and left me free to put my notes in order or catch up with my correspondence.”

Georges Condominas’ library and desk © Georges Condominas

 

Georges condominas' in the village

 

"The path runs along the river, and on the far bank (up to here covered by forest) a Mnong Gar village appears. Its long houses are aligned parallel to the water, and seem crushed by their immense roofs, from which veils of smoke rise. Some treetops and tall posts with swaying decorations stand tall between the long houses. In the yards of beaten earth, which seem dirty, several dogs bark, and the men, who are naked except for a loincloth with its long section swaying between their legs, gesticulate and shout."

 

The village of Sar Luk and its long houses © Georges Condominas

 

Intimacy with the villagers

 

"It would not be scientific [...] to eliminate the modifications, as minute as they may have been, caused by my presence: [...] To be able to assemble these documents, I had to attend to them as they unfolded. I believe I did all I could to ensure that my presence had as little effect as possible on the normal life of the Mnong Gar village in which I lived."

 

Scenes from the life of ethnologist Georges Condominas in Sar Luk

 

Georges Condominas at the buffalo sacrifice offered to the village. From right to left: Bbông the assistant, Baap Can who shares out the rice, Wan-Jôong and his Basque beret, Bbaang-the-Enclosed © Georges Condominas

 

"The ethnologist (identified by his pipe) reads his notebook or a book, with his gun down; followed by a Mnong Gar (or himself) smoking a pipe and carrying his rifle on his shoulder." Bamboo, painted black and etched with a knife. 71.1951.3.157bis © musée du quai Branly / P. Gries / B. Descoings		"The ethnologist, pipe stuck in his mouth, reading his notebook and leaning on a cane. The details may not be precise, my memory isn't what it was. The ethnologist and a visitor (Dr. Choumarra, on account of the crew-cut?) seated on either side of a table, each smoking his pipe." Bamboo, painted black and etched with a knife. H. 106. 71.1951.3.157bis © musée du quai Branly / P. Gries / B. Descoings

 

Ethnographic fieldwork: acquiring the language and collectings artifacts

 

“I had above all decided not to carry out my mission using the French language, but rather the language of the selected tribe. I wanted to work in direct contact with the people I had come to study, whereas an interpreter is undeniably a middleman.” “I continued to enrich my vocabulary and knowledge of Mnong techniques by using the same method, which might be called ‘techno-linguistic’ – drawing objects and noting down their names, watching craftspeople at work weaving or at the forge, etc., and asking, largely by means of sign language, the terms for each action.”

 

Chignon pin, möng kal sok nduum (“rod – planted horizontally in the hair – woolen fraying”), exchanged against 9 feet of cloth. Brass, beads, cotton. H. 15.5 – 71.1950.24.31 © musée du quai Branly / P. Gries / B. Descoings	Field notebook: chignon pin möng kal sok nduum and receptacle for tooth lacquer - © Georges Condominas / musée du quai Branly collections

 

This harvest basket belongs to a batch of objects destined for the South Vietnam exhibition in Saigon. Used by men as well as women, this basket is used primarily for carrying rice. It can be used to transport jars when specific jar-carriers (rdaa) are unavailable. It is the basket of choice for travel as it is considered very beautiful. When a household possesses large harvest baskets (sah kec), the men prefer carrying these, leaving the smaller baskets (sah nal) to the women. Bamboo ngör (Arundinaria sp.), small rattan palm, reh, large rattan, sieng, and liana, kroo mbôh ôm bôok. Construction: the basket-maker begins by weaving the bottom while holding it with his feet, then straightens the bamboo strips which, in this way, form the uprights (rnöng); they are held straight as they are threaded them through a hoop (nap); the strands of large rattan are then worked in; this work finished, each riser is bent abruptly upward (nggêh), (hence the name of this type of basket: sah nggêh); the fine strands of bamboo (rnanny rhêen) are then woven, while each one is pressed (löt). This weaving finished, the support hoop is replaced with permanent hoops which are linked (tak) by a strand of small rattan. Upright basket (taany kaal): Weave (sak eh) of wicker with strands 1:1 (pök dul ntön dul) with uprights (rnöng) of strips 1.3 cm. wide and thin strips (rnaany) of bamboo 0.2 cm. wide. Base of the inner wall (ntööm büt sah): 6 cm., cross-woven 2:2 (waal plee) with strips of large rattan. Beginning (büt eh): made with a simple 2:2 weave (waal plee, pöok ntön baar); strips of bamboo (ngör). Ending: (tak eh or nap eh): uprights cut, tightened with two slats (nap), linked with a small piece of rattan wound in a knotted spiral (with an additional external circle). Work named tak grêep, or link of tightened spirals.  Presence of an internal reinforcing hoop (nuâr).  Shoulder strap (rsei sah) in small braided rattan (sö'); fastening of the basket in "crow's feet" (kat jöng nnaak). Upper portion in shape of a "snake's head" (bôok beh): concave braid with sixteen strands and a ligature made of an additional strand. Central portion: flat braid with seventeen strands, woven 2:2. Lower portion: a concave braid holds a knotted rattan, which passes under the bottom of the basket and goes on to connect with the braided part of the other shoulder strap. Base (jöng eh): strip of liana (kroo mbôh ôm bôok; this liana takes its name from the fact that, when brewed, it is used to for washing hair); bamboo cross to keep the bottom rigid (ngkaal büt eh); the strip of liana goes around the cross, held at the corners by hooks to the four feet (ngkoe), which are 10 cm. long, and are made from large strips of bamboo. The nodes of the bamboo form the hooks, inserted into the basket. Support rod (rnal kal sah) for the forked resting stick (rnööl ou sah).
		Harvest basket Sah nal ("basket – baskets of this size") Basket of medium size, purchased for ten piastres at the Lac post office. This price, imposed by the administration, is, from the Mnong Gar point of view, much lower than the real value of the object. 71.1951.3.37a © musée du quai Branly, photo Patrick Gries

 

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