Naven

by Gregory Bateson

“Naven” is the name of a peculiar ritual practiced by the Iatmul, a head-hunting tribe of New Guinea. The ceremony is performed to congratulate members of the tribe upon the completion of notable accomplishments, among which homicide ranks highest. Ordinarily this tribe insists upon an extreme contrast between the sexes, but in the “naven” ceremony, transvestitism and ritual homosexuality are represented. The “naven” serves in this book as a motive around which the author has constructed one of the most influential works of field anthropology ever written.” BOOK JACKET

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?