Through the interview, Gibbon learned how the process works regarding the decision of who will be eaten: during the evening, the men chant and sing, then smoke brus (a local tobacco), and then chant and sing some more. Gradually a person's name appears in the song. If it is your name, you can start saying your goodbyes, because you have been identified as a "magic man"–someone who has magically caused harm to someone else in the village, and so you now deserve to be killed….and marinated.
The "name" of the chosen entree comes straight from the spirit world. And guess who the spirits reveal the menu to? It is none other than to the song leader of the tribe. Indeed, the shaman, the song leader, is "the decider."
Why does this interest me? I have personally been gathering research for a couple of years regarding my growing concern about the need for collaboration in the musical arts. Not to be pessimistic, but with this evidence, I may now have the scientific proof I need that my challenge to facillitate collaboration could be greater than anticipated.
My second thought was ‘Who’s gonna buy all that
pizza!?’
When if glanced at this topic I thought it said “Singing With
Cannabis”.
I thought ‘Holy mackeral! That’s a radical rehearsal
technique!”