High in the New Guinea mountains a sociological drama of unique design has been unfolding since the early 1930s. At that time the first of the Europeans who would take part in the area's development trekked into the remote highlands. These early gold prospectors, patrol officers, and missionaries made the first outside contacts with the Stone Age Gorokan people. These encounters ultimately catapulted the Gorokans, subsistence gardeners cultivating sweet potatoes and raising pigs, squarely into the twentieth century. The magnitude of the economic and social changes that followed in the next forty years clearly distinguish the Gorokan case as one of the most remarkable examples of human adaptability to be witnessed in modern times. Although popular thinking has it that traditional societies are change-resistant and that social reforms therefore must precede economic and other types of development, the Gorokans, remarkably, reversed the process and passed from the Stone Age to the twentieth-century marketplace in one generation. Today they are heavily involved in growing coffee, they have developed their own trucking industry for transporting coffee and other cash crops to market, and they are venturing into the raising of beef cattle and the operation of trade stores and various businesses. Big-Men and Business is the record of this extraordinary case of economic change, based on field study conducted in 1967 and 1968. Dr. Finney interviewed many of the Gorokan leaders of this commercial revolution, and draws comparisons between the Gorokan experience and that of other New Guinean peoples. One of the results of his research indicates that the Gorokans may have been predisposed to entrepreneurship. Traditionally, a Gorokan "big-man" was the man who acquired the valuables of his society—cowrie shells, mother-of-pearl shells, pigs, and bird-of-paradise plumes. These leaders were honored for their skills in the flourishing local exchange system. This fact, coupled with a supportive colonial relationship and a favorable natural environment, enhanced the Gorokans' adaptation, and thus the leap from the world of traditional exchange to one where business is conducted on a cash basis was, in reality, a short step. Foreword by Douglas L. Oliver

Who is not captivated by tales of Islanders earnestly scanning their watery horizons for great fleets of cargo ships bringing rice, radios and refrigerators - ships that will never arrive? Of all the stories spun about the island peoples of Melanesia, tales of cargo cult are among the most fascinating. The term cargo cult, Lamont Lindstrom contends, is one of anthropology's most successful conceptual offspring. Like culture, worldview and ethnicity, its usage has steadily proliferated, migrating into popular culture where today it is used to describe an astonishing roll-call of people. It's history makes for lively and compelling reading. The cargo cult story, Lindstrom shows, is more significant than it at first appears, for it recapitulates in summary form three generations of anthropological theory and Pacific studies. Although anthropologists' enthusiasm for the notion of cargo cult has waned, it now colors outsiders' understanding of Melanesian culture, and even Melanesians' perceptions of themselves. The repercussions for contemporary Islanders are significant: leaders of more than one political movement have felt the need to deny that they are any kind of cargo cultist. Of particular interest to this history is Lindstom's argument that accounts of cargo cult are at heart tragedies of thwarted desire, melancholy anticipation and crazy unrequited love. He makes a convincing case that these stories expose powerful Western scenarios of desire itself—giving cargo cult its combined titillation of the fascinating exotic and the comfortably familiar.

One of America's leading anthropolgists offers solutions to the perplexing question of why people behave the way they do. Why do Hindus worship cows? Why do Jews and Moslems refuse to eat pork? Why did so many people in post-medieval Europe believe in witches? Marvin Harris answers these and other perplexing questions about human behavior, showing that no matter how bizarre a people's behavior may seem, it always stems from identifiable and intelligble sources.

Dorothy K. Billings' unique ethnography is based on thirty-five years of anthropological fieldwork in Papua New Guinea. Cargo Cult as Theater offers anthropologists, and anyone interested in the Johnson cult, careful insight into this unlikely cultural phenomenon.

"Big Man Anthropology" presents an engaging exploration of how influential leaders in small-scale societies shape their political, social, and economic landscapes. 1: Big Man (Anthropology): Explore the "Big Man" concept, focusing on how these leaders exert influence and authority in their communities. 2: Cargo Cult: Examine Cargo Cults, revealing how their expectations reflect broader themes of leadership and power dynamics. 3: Melanesia: Delve into Melanesian context, highlighting unique leadership characteristics and social organization in the region. 4: Reciprocity (Cultural Anthropology): Learn about reciprocity's principle and its influence on leadership and social relations in small societies. 5: Kula Ring: Investigate the Kula Ring system, a traditional trade network in Melanesia, and its role in leadership and social bonds. 6: Moka Exchange: Explore Moka Exchange in Papua New Guinea, emphasizing its significance in reinforcing hierarchical structures. 7: Ongka's Big Moka: Analyze Ongka's Big Moka case study, illustrating Moka Exchange's complexities and leadership dynamics. 8: Melanesian Mythology: Discover Melanesian mythology's influence on leadership and social order in their societies. 9: Melanesians: Gain insights into Melanesian cultures, focusing on embedded leadership structures within their social fabric. 10: Andrew Strathern: Learn about Andrew Strathern's contributions to understanding leadership in Melanesian societies. 11: History of Oceania: Contextualize Oceania's history to appreciate leadership and political structures' evolution. 12: Gift Economy: Examine gift economies' role in establishing and maintaining social hierarchies and leadership. 13: Pacific Islander: Explore the broader Pacific Islander context, noting similarities and differences in leadership structures. 14: Chiefdom: Investigate chiefdoms and their impact on leadership dynamics and social organization across cultures. 15: Religion in Papua New Guinea: Examine the interplay of religion and leadership in Papua New Guinea, highlighting spiritual beliefs' influence. 16: Oceanian Art: Discover how Oceanian art reflects and reinforces leadership and social hierarchies in Pacific societies. 17: Melpa Language: Explore Melpa language's role in communication and leadership within Melanesian cultures. 18: Melanesia Cup: Understand the Melanesia Cup's cultural significance and its influence on leadership dynamics. 19: Dema Deity: Examine the Dema deity's role in illustrating the intersection of religion and leadership. 20: 2017 FIBA Melanesia Basketball Cup: Analyze the impact of the 2017 FIBA Melanesia Basketball Cup on regional leadership and social cohesion. 21: 2017 FIBA Women's Melanesia Basketball Cup: Explore the Women's Melanesia Basketball Cup's role in shaping gender dynamics and leadership.

For those considering Extreme Programming, this book provides no-nonsense advice on agile planning, development, delivery, and management taken from the authors' many years of experience. While plenty of books address the what and why of agile development, very few offer the information users can apply directly.

In the past few years, going cloud native has been a big advantage for many companies. But it’s a tough technique to get right, especially for enterprises with critical legacy systems. This practical hands-on guide examines effective architecture, design, and cultural patterns to help you transform your organization into a cloud native enterprise—whether you’re moving from older architectures or creating new systems from scratch. By following Wealth Grid, a fictional company, you’ll understand the challenges, dilemmas, and considerations that accompany a move to the cloud. Technical managers and architects will learn best practices for taking on a successful company-wide transformation. Cloud migration consultants Pini Reznik, Jamie Dobson, and Michelle Gienow draw patterns from the growing community of expert practitioners and enterprises that have successfully built cloud native systems. You’ll learn what works and what doesn’t when adopting cloud native—including how this transition affects not just your technology but also your organizational structure and processes. You’ll learn: What cloud native means and why enterprises are so interested in it Common barriers and pitfalls that have affected other companies (and how to avoid them) Context-specific patterns for a successful cloud native transformation How to implement a safe, evolutionary cloud native approach How companies addressed root causes and misunderstandings that hindered their progress Case studies from real-world companies that have succeeded with cloud native transformations

After driving the Japanese out of Papua New Guinea during World War II, the U.S. military forces left their gear -- and the makings of a cargo cult -- to the native Kaliai. CULTURES OF SECRECY offers a close look at how, for fifty years, the bush Kaliai in Melanesia have worked these tailings of the western world into their indigenous culture. Lattas shows how cargo cults in general bring together past, present, and future in their curious blending of traditional myths, imported folklore, borrowed state practices and ideologies, and reworked Christian stories. The result is a richly interdisciplinary work that uses ethnography to explore questions of racial experience, gender relations, space, time, death, and the politics of human relations. Never passive imitators, the Kaliai as Andrew Lattas portrays them actively incorporate and transform western beliefs and practices into their own narratives of life, sexuality, and death. The consequences are new myths and histories, new relationships with the ancestral dead -- an alternative world of power and knowledge through which the Kaliai accommodate the dominant white culture and its institutions. Lattas examines the racial conflict that has riddled the recent history of the cargo cults. He also describes the cults' demonization by the New Tribes missionaries from the United States, who disapprove of the villagers' unorthodox miming of European symbols and practices. His book allows us to see behind the villagers' ambivalence toward "waitskin" (white-skins) as they continue to reinvent their social world.

This collection of original essays is based on fieldwork in Melanesia, Fiji, Australia, and Indonesia by scholars who are influential in the contemporary debate on cargo cults.