The Living, Dead and Dying: Music of the New Guinea Wape

The Living, Dead and Dying: Music of the New Guinea Wape is an exploration of a highly ceremonial and musical culture. Recorded over an 18-month period spanning 1970 and 1971, anthropologist William E. Mitchell documents a people struggling with famine and disease. To combat their struggle, they hold curing festivals, sing demon chants, and conduct other musical remedies. This field recording consists of songs from these events, as well as a number of typical routines and rituals of the Wape people, such as the burning of bamboo trees to clear out unwanted fog that settles in villages. The liner notes include short descriptions of each track and photographs of Wape life.

Track Listing

101	Call to the Forest (1)	Yamtulu	01:01
102	Parade of the Niyl Masks	Percussionists in Wilkili Village	03:45
103	Maikasi Chant	Percussionists and chanters in Otemgi Village	01:12
104	Mani Demon Chants (1)	Male singers and percussionists in Taute Village	03:00
105	Mani Demon Chants (2)	Male singers and percussionists in Wilkili Village	02:01
106	Wene Demon Chants	Male singers in Taute Village	02:50
107	Poril Demon Chants	Male singers and percussionists in Wilkili Village	08:06
201	Death of Waibu	Female singers and male percussionists in Taute Village	03:01
202	Epilo's Funeral	Female singers in Taute Village	01:12
203	Entrance of the Mani Mask	Female singers in Wilkili Village	01:09
204	Mani Demon Chants (3)	Suwe	03:38
205	Bamboo Fire Ritual	Burning bamboo thicket in Taute Village	00:55
206	A Lonely Wife's Lament	So'ope	01:35
207	The Reluctant Bride's Lament	Kuruwai	01:47
208	Lament of the Ugly Men / A Brother-in-Law's Lament	Waiape	03:18
209	Lament of a Parisko Maiden	Yenge	03:02
210	Lament of a Compromised Maiden	Kumoi	01:30
211	Night Laughter	Bilu	01:01
212	Call to the Forest (2)	Suwe	00:54