ABSTRACT
In this book I have been examining some of the general ideas about symbols held by anthropologists, or held by others and of possible use to anthropologists. I have exemplified this examination by a series of illustrations from some fields where public and private symbolism seems to be closely inter-related: food; hair; flags; giving and getting; greeting and parting. Each of these objects and actions is meaningful symbolically to individuals personally as well as collectively and socially. Unlike some of my colleagues, I argue that important problems of interpretation and clues to understanding lie in analysis of such intricate conjunction between the individual and the collective symbolization.
