The Mafulu: Mountain People of British New Guinea

"The Mafulu: Mountain People of British New Guinea" by Robert Wood Williamson is a detailed study of a little-known group of people in the early 1900s. The book describes the author's trip to the isolated Mafulu villages in British New Guinea, where he aimed to learn about the everyday life, traditions, and appearances of the Mafulu people, who hadn't had much contact with Western society before. The book starts by setting the scene for a thorough study of the Mafulu, explaining the author's travels to get to their area, noting how infrequent it was for people from Western countries to visit. The story mentions interactions with local religious leaders, who shared their understanding of the place. The author also talks about how difficult it was to do research because of language problems and the fact that the Mafulu weren't used to being asked so many questions, which made studying their culture harder. The beginning part of the book tells about the author's personal experience and hints at the important adventure of learning about a new culture that the following pages will reveal.