Abstract
Anthropology and missiology have often mixed about as well as oil and water, but not so with Dan Shaw’s Singing Samo Songs. This is ethnography at its best, with thick descriptions of Samo life over a period of 50 years. Shaw, who is Senior Professor of Anthropology and Translation at Fuller Theological Seminary Graduate School of Mission and Theology, first encountered the Samo people living in relative isolation from the outside world in the Bosavi region of Papua New Guinea. Seldom do we encounter ethnographies that cover such a long period of time and document such dramatic socio-cultural change as the Samo have experienced as they have transitioned from relative isolation in the rain forest to engaging a globalized world. As a Bible translator, anthropologist, and missiologist, Shaw brings a rich experience to demonstrate the value of an ethnohistorical approach in researching socio-religious change among the Samo. In addition, he provides the reader with a convincing insider’s understanding of this change, “From Shaman to Pastor,” as the subtitle indicates. This is possible because from his perspective as a follower of Jesus, he can combine his outside description along with an inside awareness of what the Samo have experienced. They have not converted to imported forms of mission Christianity, but rather have developed their own indigenous Samo way of following Jesus. For example, singing, which played a prominent role in Samo society continues to do so as the Samo have found a new way of singing old songs. They now sing songs of praise to God, instead of songs to ward off cannibalistic attacks from their enemies, thankful for the positive transformation of their society while maintaining their cultural identity as Samo.
The book’s four chapters are organized by decades starting from the 1960s and 1970s to the 2000s with a dominant song type for each era, so readers can see the socio-religious change unfold before their eyes. Shaw creatively employs the Samo three-day initiation ceremony as a heuristic device to understand the changes that have occurred over time. Bible translation played a dominant role in this change as the Samo discovered that they did not have to deny their birth identity in order to affirm their rebirth as Samo followers of Jesus.
This book is a model for missiological anthropology and is a splendid contribution to the growing field of anthropology of Christianity. It underscores the need for anthropologists and missiologists to work together in harmony instead of unnecessary antagonism.