ABSTRACT
The fieldwork on which this thesis is based was carried out between February 1969 and July 1970 in Umeda village, which is one of four villages which, together, make up the Waina-Sowanda census area in the West Sepik District of New Guinea. Patrols were threatened at various times during the sixties, but there was no serious trouble between the villagers and the administration, until 1967, when a patrol sent to recapture a man of Umeda who had escaped from prison was threatened by a large body of men, and had to retire. A catechist had been established in Umeda for some years, but had failed to teach any of the children to read, though they had acquired a number of mournful mission ditties. The main rivers - which are not properly marked on any map available at present, arc shown on the sketch map of the Umeda area.
