But the time has come for a broad overview of the field and
this can only be done by simplifying, by seeking the essence of
ideas so that the nature of the grand panorama of forest can be
seen. There is nothing like the effort to write for newcomers to
the field to help clarify ideas. Specialists can judge the extent to
which such simplifications reveal the essence or distort the
picture.

This is a very exciting time for students of the relation of art
to all the rest of culture, because of good field work interacting
with new theoretical insights from many disciplines. Anthro-
pologists and art historians not closely involved may not
realize how rapidly or how profoundly the field is changing.
Often work done as recently as the 1960's seems surprisingly
naive both in ethnographic information and theoretical
interpretation.

After the work of Boas and Kroeber and a few of their students
early in the century, the arts were relatively neglected in
anthropology. Such works as appeared until the 1960's were
written for the most part by art historians and were based on
artifacts in museums; information provided by field workers
was incidental to other ethnographic work. More direct, in
depth studies appeared in the 1970's mostly in articles
emphasizing some one particular aspect and perspective. These
have been illuminating, and have built up almost revolu-
tionary understandings with far reaching implications.
Now more complete art focussed, or art-including ethno-
graphies are appearing, providing new breadth and depth.
It is very fortunate that we have works as those of Biebuyck
Ben-Amos, Ottenberg, Tuzin, Bricker and Glaze, to mention
a few, not only for information on traditional contexts
and functions, but for better understanding of process and
change. Furthermore, through the illumination provided by
such works, the earlier literature can be mined, and a wealth of
possibilities opens up for the ethno-history of many art forms.

The statement at the end of Chapter 1 concerning the
multiplicity of parameters of even a single art object is a
condensed paradigm of the more general theoretical position of
the author. Readers more particularly interested in the
theoretical aspects of the subject in some depth may find the
following of interest.

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