Description: This case study examines an isolated tribe in Indonesia, West New Guinea from 1961 when it was still using stone axes, bows, arrows and spears up to the present (1995). The author's long engagement with the Dani results in a wide range of engaging topics as well as the ethical dilemma he faced as an anthropologist. One immediately acquires a sense of the limitations and strengths of the anthropologist's role in the field. Heider's 1995 visit to the Dugnm Dani left him less optimistic about the future of the Dani than his 1988 visit. Indonesian Independence Day was celebrated during Heider's stay. The Dani presence was barely acknowledged, while the Indonesian presence was colorfully represented. The past mistakes of foreign occupations of indigenous territory, committed mostly by Western powers, now seems repeated by the Indonesian authorities. This case study is appropriate for Introduction to Anthropology and Cultural Anthropology courses. New features include a new chapter (Chapter 6) discussing changes in Dani life between 1988 and 1995 and integral information regarding the sense of change in this traditional society.

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