Throwim Way Leg Tree-Kangaroos, Possums, and Penis Gourds

by Flannery, Tim

• ISBN13: 9780802136657
• ISBN10: 0802136656
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-01-06
• Publisher: Grove Press

Summary

Flannery travels to the unexplored regions of New Guinea in search of species that science has yet to discover or classify. He finds many -- from a community of giant cave bats that were supposedly extinct to the elusive black-and-white tree-kangaroo -- and along the way has a wealth of unforgettable adventures. Flannery scales cliffs, descends into caverns, and cheats death, both from disease and at the hands of the local cannibals, who wish to take revenge on his "clan" of wildlife scientists. He eventually befriends the tribespeople, who become companions in his quest and whose contributions to his research prove invaluable. In New Guinea pidgin, throwim way leg means to take the first step of a long journey. The journey in this book is a wild ride full of natural wonders and Flannery's trademark wit, a tour de force of travelogue, anthropology, and natural history.

Author Biography

Tim Flannery is director of the South Australian Museum. He was previously the principal research scientist at the Australian Museum in Sydney and has also been visiting professor of Australian Studies at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Throwim way leg	p. 1
Mt Albert Edward
Buai impressionism	p. 9
The fear of heaven	p. 13
Out of the ether	p. 24
Life above the forest	p. 31
The poet and the python	p. 40
Miyanmin
Spat from the sky	p. 47
The last people	p. 55
Boobiari	p. 63
Rausim laplap bilong kok	p. 70
The world underground	p. 75
No greater love	p. 85
The refugees	p. 98
Telefomin
Exit by airbed	p. 105
The navel of the universe	p. 109
Journey to the Sol	p. 119
The cuscus has four fingers	p. 125
Femsep--a Telefol big man	p. 134
Ok Tedi and Beyond
Bat from the ice age	p. 145
Expedition to the Stars	p. 160
North Coast Ranges
Torricelli Mountains	p. 177
The wildlife clan	p. 184
Trail of the Tenkile	p. 199
Jayapura and Beyond
Peace and prisons	p. 215
Traces of tundra	p. 223
Arfak, Fak Fak	p. 249
Snow Mountains
The discovery of Dingiso	p. 263
The high point	p. 278
Kwiyawagi revisited	p. 292
A living Dingiso	p. 300
Coming to a head	p. 305
Envoi	p. 317
Acknowledgments	p. 318
Index	p. 321
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.