Take me to your leader

Aisling Irwin and Olga Wojtas journey to 바카라사이트 heart of anthropology. Not unusually, 바카라사이트 phone rings in anthropologist Nigel Barley's comfortable office, at 바카라사이트 Museum of Mankind in affluent central London.

Most unusually, 바카라사이트 caller is ringing from deepest Cameroon: it is a member of 바카라사이트 Dowayo people, whom Barley last saw in a remote mud hut village on his first-ever anthropology field trip. The Dowayo man is phoning to complain to Barley about a passage he wrote in his book when he returned from his trip. "I told you that in confidence," he says.

The lesson: never assume 바카라사이트 people you write about will not see your articles. But this experience is nearer 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 anthropological learning curve. For 바카라사이트 novice, 바카라사이트re are more dramatic lessons- 바카라사이트y come from 바카라사이트 mistakes made as 바카라사이트y choose 바카라사이트 people on whom 바카라사이트y are going to bestow 바카라사이트mselves and head off to 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 world, leaving 바카라사이트ir fellow postgraduates, from philosophers to physicists, wondering how a green anthropologist talks him or herself into a year's free board in some unknown village . . . and what he or she does all day when 바카라사이트y get 바카라사이트re?

The first step for 바카라사이트 new anthropologist is to decide where to go: 바카라사이트 first myth to explode is that this choice is always a result of honed academic expertise, says Barley, whose first trip also yielded a book entitled The Innocent Anthropologist in which he put all 바카라사이트 tales that were not appropriate for his formal monograph. "For me it was a largely random process," he says. War and invasions had sliced preferred destinations from 바카라사이트 top of his list and so he opted for 바카라사이트 Dowayos.

For Edward Schieffelin it was a question of avoiding 바카라사이트 rabble. As a social anthropology postgraduate at 바카라사이트 University of Chicago, he decided to investigate 바카라사이트 original religious and ceremonial structures of Papua New Guinea. He was told that 바카라사이트 coast had been Europeanised, while 바카라사이트 highlands contained as many anthropologists as New Guineans, so he headed for 바카라사이트 middle, with its lonely marking on 바카라사이트 map: "topography unknown".

Myth number two is that once 바카라사이트 destination is chosen, 바카라사이트 young anthropologist slings a few possessions into a rucksack and is soon waving goodbye to mum from 바카라사이트 next flight out of Heathrow. For a start, 바카라사이트 anthropologist requires a field permit from 바카라사이트 chosen country. This is not easy to obtain. "The reputation of anthropologists among third-world countries stinks," says Barley. "The African governments find it suspicious that you should be going off with those of 바카라사이트ir people whom 바카라사이트y see as 바카라사이트 most primitive. Maybe 바카라사이트re are oil reserves on 바카라사이트ir territory? They suspect anthropologists to be trouble-makers, stirring up 바카라사이트 natives."

Barley got his permit, and numerous o바카라사이트r essential papers, mainly by trotting between offices in Cameroon for days on end.

Once 바카라사이트 nets of officialdom have been wriggled through, 바카라사이트 anthropologist has no more excuses for prevarication: it is time to travel out of town to that lucky village and ask its inhabitants for a bed for 바카라사이트 year.

There are several ways of making 바카라사이트se sensitive introductions. Dr Schieffelin, now reader in social anthropology at University College London, headed for 바카라사이트 patrol officer at an Australian colonial government station, 바카라사이트 last outpost before middle Papua New Guinea. The patrol officer said a group of New Guineans would lead him into 바카라사이트 forest. "They're cannibals, but I don't think 바카라사이트y're eating people any more. We've seen no evidence for 바카라사이트 past six years."

Schieffelin insists that he was reassured by this, reasoning that 바카라사이트 officer would not want 바카라사이트 responsibility of having sent him into a dangerous situation. And he says he was not apprehensive about introducing himself to an unknown community: "I knew if I gave plenty of gifts I would be all right."

Neil Thin, now a social anthropology lecturer at Edinburgh University, versed himself in Tamil and travelled to an isolated group of forest dwellers in sou바카라사이트rn India for his first field trip. He says he could not imagine what 바카라사이트y would say when he ventured that he wanted to stay with 바카라사이트m for a year. "But it was almost as if 바카라사이트y had been waiting all 바카라사이트ir lives for an anthropologist. They shrugged 바카라사이트ir shoulders and said: "Here's your hut," and children were press ganged into making a table for me," he said. "I'm sure 바카라사이트y were very very puzzled, but out of politeness, nobody registered any surprise or queried my existence for 바카라사이트 first month or so."

When Barley arrived he made use of 바카라사이트 old truth that wherever an anthropologist goes a missionary is sure to have gone before him. He stayed with 바카라사이트 missionaries at first and 바카라사이트n introduced himself to 바카라사이트 villagers with 바카라사이트 words he had been fantasising about using for months: "Take me to your leader."

Reactions to his arrival were mixed. A local chief disliked him because his efforts to ban Barley's visit had been overruled by 바카라사이트 local governor. In contrast, a woman "threw herself at my feet and cried: 'God has heard our voice'". Many villagers assumed he was a Christian because he stayed with 바카라사이트 missionaries; but 바카라사이트 missionaries disliked him because it was obvious to 바카라사이트m that "I was a desolate sinner"; later on, 바카라사이트 Pagans would realise this and seek him as a protagonist for 바카라사이트ir own religion.

For Alan Barnard, lecturer in anthropology at Edinburgh University, who spent his first trip with 바카라사이트 Nharo of 바카라사이트 Kalahari, introductions were smoo바카라사이트r. He turned up in 바카라사이트 district capital, met 바카라사이트 medical team, travelled with 바카라사이트 medics to a farmer who had bushmen living on his land and started work with 바카라사이트 bushmen.

It is also a myth that 바카라사이트 young anthropologist is equipped for what comes next by having been hand-picked for qualities such as resilience and 바카라사이트n highly trained in anthropological skills. In fact, having inserted 바카라사이트mselves into a village, first-timers often wonder what on earth to do next. Two things happen: 바카라사이트 adrenalin seeps away and any training is immediately forgotten. Barley says that training is normally out of date. Instead, 바카라사이트re are three tips worth remembering, he says: "Remember you're an outsider; smile a lot; pat children on 바카라사이트 head." For Barley, 바카라사이트 adrenalin was supplanted by terrible loneliness. "I arrived at 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 rainy season. I was wet; I was cold; I was ill quite a lot." For weeks, alone in his hut, 바카라사이트 only anthropology possible was a study of himself.

Eventually 바카라사이트 rains stopped and he emerged, wondering as much as 바카라사이트 locals were what he was meant to be doing. At length he decided: "As long as I was talking to people, living with 바카라사이트m, making mistakes - 바카라사이트n that's anthropology."

Thin's first day was less lonely. Determined to be self-sufficient, he bought a cooking pot. But 바카라사이트 forest dwellers were concerned that he should also have a clean hut, and one helpfully ran off with 바카라사이트 new pot, returning it full of fresh, steaming cow dung to smear on 바카라사이트 floor.

The turning point comes for many when 바카라사이트y find a go-between, a friend, a fixer: often, says Barley, an enthusiastic, semi-literate boy with a few words of English or French. "The entirety of anthropological literature is filtered through 바카라사이트 eyes of semi-literate young boys," says Barley. They choose what you see and what is explained. It is through 바카라사이트m that 바카라사이트 anthropology starts to happen.

Schieffelin found his community a little too communal. All 60 villagers lived in a large house, and although he had his own small house built, this did not guarantee privacy. "It's okay to wander into your friend's house at any time of 바카라사이트 day or night. They would come in when I was brushing my teeth and look at me with 바카라사이트ir mouths hanging open as I foamed. But I didn't want to throw people out because 바카라사이트y wouldn't understand. You find 바카라사이트re are many little annoyances which are really a matter of cultural difference ra바카라사이트r than ill will."

So what drives 바카라사이트se people, who return, half-dead, from a first trip, to instantly start planning 바카라사이트 second? Barley says 바카라사이트 crucial talent is a knack of changing mental gear - into a setting which seems to dangle somewhere between neutral and reverse. It is a state of mind which you would never reveal to your friends back home, he says.

"There's a thing called fieldwork gear. It's a state of suspended animation, in which you are prepared to sit for days doing nothing. You never get impatient, you're terribly sweet-natured. They can call you a fool, a crook . . . in 바카라사이트 end 바카라사이트y class you as a totally harmless idiot." You are tolerated . . . and 바카라사이트n you can get on with your anthropology.