"Nature is both religion and survival for those who dwell in the rain forest. But change, in the form of development, is eating away at the natural diversity that is the basis of Mentawaian island society. This book makes clear that we will all be impoverished by the loss of this ecosystem and the richly distinct human society that depends on it for existence and meaning."--Adrian Forsyth, Conservation International "For the Mentawaian, priest and physician are one, for the condition of the spirit determines the physical state of the body. Sickness is disruption, imbalance, and the manifestation of malevolent forces in the flesh. Health is a state of balance, of harmony, and for the Mentawaian it is something holy. Although ailments may be treated symptomatically, often with medicinal plants, many of which are indeed pharmacologically active, it is intervention on the spiritual plane that ultimaetly determines a patient's fate, and for this the healers must fly away on the wings of trance to distant realms where they may work their deeds of magical resuce. This book is an exquisite portrait of a people who move in and out of their spirit realm with an ease and impunity that has consistently astonished ethnographic observers.

"--Wade Davis, author of "The Serpent and the Rainbow" "One of the best environmental warnings of 1983. Every ten days an area the size of Noxubee County loses it's timber and all the bird, animal and plant life being supported by it. "Mentawai Shaman: Keeper of the Rain Forest" by Charles Lindsay, is a rare and exotic glance at this ominous fact."--Broox Sledge, "The Book World" "Ethnographer Lindsay's fascination with the Mentawaian tribe and theirdetermination to hold to traditions despite the intrusion of outside social and political forces makes for a captivating account."--"The Bookwatch".