Glazer, Mark

English

Kosmopolis

Studies in Visual Communication 
Volume 2 
Issue 2 Fall 1975 Article 10 
1975 
Munn: Walbiri Iconography 
Mark Glazer 
Purdue University 
Recommended Citation 
Glazer, M. (1975). Munn: Walbiri Iconography. 2 (2), 126-127. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/
svc/vol2/iss2/10 
This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/svc/vol2/iss2/10 
For more information, please contact repository@pobox.upenn.edu. 
Munn: Walbiri Iconography 
This reviews and discussion is available in Studies in Visual Communication: https://repository.upenn.edu/svc/vol2/
iss2/10 
especially useful chapters on public access and cable's 
potential threat to privacy. 
The book repeatedly implores citizens to become involved 
at the earliest stages- when officials are deciding if and under 
what conditions cable systems will be developed. Achtenberg 
attempts to dispel the intimidation of technology by 
including photographs of volunteers operating cameras, 
adjusting lights, editing film, and testifying at public hearings 
on technological matters. The photographs and accompany-
ing text seem designed to rebut the industry argument that 
production of programming must remain the sole prerogative 
of the cable company. 
Let me return once again to Parker's plea for assessment 
of communications technology and institutions. Parker asks 
that communications scholars realize that the timing of their 
research can influence social change. He notes that research 
on broadcasting was "too little, too late" to have any effect 
on the structure of broadcasting institutions. Parker main-
tains that institutions with a vested interest in technology are 
most susceptible to public directed change while they are 
undergoing a period of crisis or instability (1973). If Parker is 
correct, then the time for assessment of cable television by 
communications scholars is now. Indeed, Achtenberg's own 
involvement in SMAP resulted from his realization that the 
still fluid regulation of cable at the local level offered 
community groups a chance to influence the dissemination, 
development, and control of the new medium. 
The cable operators are asking the public to refrain from 
interfering until the companies can realize a profit from their 
investment. Or, as Achtenberg sums it up: "Let us do 
whatever we can make a buck on, and sooner or later we may 
get around to giving you what you need" (p. 2). 
Cable television is a powerful new medium; it is relatively 
undeveloped. But powerful economic institutions, often in 
partnership with their governmental regulators, are moving 
rapidly to solidify control. The present opportunity for the 
public interest to prevail over narrow economic concerns 
may not again present itself for decades. Yet Achtenberg 
believes that there is still time. Community groups can 
mobilize to demand public control. Communications scholars 
can evaluate the probable effectiveness of various forms of 
control and their social consequences. The Cable Book offers 
useful information to those of both groups interested in 
making a beginning. 
In the last analysis, The Cable Book is what it purports to 
be: a handbook "for groups who are trying to figure out 
what [cable is] all about and what it is going to mean to 
them and their communities" (preface). 
As such, The Cable Book has been prepared primarily for 
community organizers; but the book is worthwhile reading 
for students of visual communication, indeed for anyone 
interested in what this new communications technology 
portends. 
References Cited 
Hall, Arthur, Ill 
1973 Introduction. In Communications Technology and Social 
Policy: Understanding the New "Cultural Revolution ." George 
Gerbner, Larry P. Gross, and William H. Melody, Eds. New 
York: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 3-7. 
Parker, Edwin B. 
1973 Technology Assessment or Institutional Change? In Com-
munications Technology and Social Policy: Understanding the 
New "Cultural Revolution." George Gerbner, Larry P. Gross, 
and William H. Melody, Eds. New York: John Wiley and Sons. 
pp. 534-547. 
Sklover, Theodora 
1973 The Open Door Policy on Television. In Communications 
Technology and Social Policy: Understanding the New "Cul-
tural Revolution." George Gerbner, Larry P. Gross, and 
William H .. Melody, Eds. New York: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 
327-339. 
Smith, Ralph Lee 
1973 CATV: FCC Rules and the Public Interest. In Communica-
tions Technology and Social Policy: Understanding the New 
"Cultural Revolution." George Gerbner, Larry P. Gross, and 
William H. Melody, Eds. New York: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 
122-123. 
Walbiri Iconography. Nancy D. Munn. Preface by Victor 
Turner. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1973. xxii + 
234 pp., diagram, figures, map, photographs, bibliog-
raphy, index. $16.50 (cloth). 
Reviewed by Mark Glazer 
Purdue University 
The Walbiri, one of the semi-nomadic groups of hunters 
and gatherers of Central Australia, are well known for their 
art. This book is, however, not about their art but about the 
utilization of drawings as a part of what Munn calls a 
"semiotic" (p. 5) of Walbiri culture. The Walbiri semiotic is 
to be understood as an ordering structure which is 
formulated in myth, sign media, and ritual processes. It must 
be added that this semiotic is in reference to the Walbiri view 
of life sources and creation. 
The book is organized around an introduction and eight 
chapters dealing with Walbiri beliefs, storytelling, and their 
representation in designs. The first chapter is an introductory 
chapter on Walbiri culture which among other topics 
delineates their social organization and the relationships of 
their patrilineal descent groups to their designs. This is done 
through the term guruwari. This term refers to both man's 
ancestral designs, which represent ancestors, and to 
"ancestral fertility power" (p. 29). Thus, guruwari refers, on 
the one hand, to the visual (designs) and, on the other, to 
invisible forces. 
The second chapter is a general discussion of the different 
types of designs and to the functions of these designs. The 
basic types of designs are the yawalyu, the ilbindji and the 
guruwari. The yawalyu are women's designs which are 
regarded as unimportant to men and which come into 
existence through dreams or maternal inheritance. The basic 
functions of these designs are procreation, health, and the 
growth of children. 1/bindji designs are created by men to 
attract women as lovers. The guruwari designs are men's 
designs and, generally, cannot be seen by women. These 
designs can be painted on the body, ceremonial objects, the 
ground, boards, stones, and weapons. They are utilized as a 
part of camp ceremonies, dramatizations of ancestral events, 
circumcisions and fertility ceremonies. This makes the 
guruwari the more important set of designs. 
The telling of stories through the utilization of sand 
designs is the topic of the third chapter. Stories are not told 
through designs among the Walbiri; designs are, however, 
126 STUDIES IN THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION 
utilized as graphic images which accompany the telling of a 
narrative. Chapter 4 is about the women's designs; they 
usually refer to food gathering or ceremonies. Most of the 
contents of these designs are of edible animals. The graphic 
system is open-ended, and these designs are a continuation of 
designs utilized in ordinary narrative. 
The next three chapters {5, 6, and 7) involve men's 
designs, and these too are a continuation of sand designs 
utilized in storytelling. These often involve the view that 
designs represent marks made by ancestors on the local 
topography. Men's designs are more specialized than those of 
women and are given a multiplicity of meanings by the 
narrator. These designs represent the importance of ancestors 
and through them the relationship between the individual 
and his social setting. The chapter on banda {fertility) 
ceremonies demonstrates the relationship between the design 
system and some ritual constructions. It also discusses 
symbolic dealings between opposite moieties. 
In her conclusion, Munn states that Walbiri designs are 
codes which can be said to be a part of the norms that 
regulate experience. Thus, the function of these designs as 
ritual assertion are fundamental to this society. 
In her account of Walbiri iconography, Munn is concerned 
with a fundamental aspect of visual anthropology: the role 
and function of design within the ritual and social context of 
a society. It is through such studies of the visual aspects of 
the human experience that we can expect to reach a better 
understanding of the importance of visual materials in 
anthropology. Most anthropology is concerned with either 
the material aspects or the organizational aspects of human 
life. Munn's book bridges the material and organizational 
aspects of human life by extending her analysis to the visual. 
What is noteworthy is how thoroughly the visual materials 
complete the ritual and organizational aspects of Walbiri life. 
The importance of such studies for visual and for cultural 
anthropology has to be emphasized. Munn has given us an 
absorbing account of the importance of visual materials in 
the human experience by demonstrating the importance of 
designs among the Walbiri as a semiotic of human inter-
action. 
REVIEWS AND DISCUSSION 127 


Munn: Walbiri Iconography

ScholarlyCommons@Penn

Studies in Visual Communication Volume 2 Issue 2 Fall 1975 Article 10 1975 Munn: Walbiri Iconography Mark Glazer Purdue University Recommended Citation Glazer, M. (1975). Munn: Walbiri Iconography. 2 (2), 126-127. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/svc/vol2/iss2/10 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/svc/vol2/iss2/10 For more information, please contact repository@pobox.upenn.edu. Munn: Walbiri Iconography This reviews and discussion is available in Studies in Visual Communication: https://repository.upenn.edu/svc/vol2/iss2/10 especially useful chapters on public access and cable's potential threat to privacy. The book repeatedly implores citizens to become involved at the earliest stages- when officials are deciding if and under what conditions cable systems will be developed. Achtenberg attempts to dispel the intimidation of technology by including photographs of volunteers operating cameras, adjusting lights, editing film, and testifying at public hearings on technological matters. The photographs and accompany-ing text seem designed to rebut the industry argument that production of programming must remain the sole prerogative of the cable company. Let me return once again to Parker's plea for assessment of communications technology and institutions. Parker asks that communications scholars realize that the timing of their research can influence social change. He notes that research on broadcasting was "too little, too late" to have any effect on the structure of broadcasting institutions. Parker main-tains that institutions with a vested interest in technology are most susceptible to public directed change while they are undergoing a period of crisis or instability (1973). If Parker is correct, then the time for assessment of cable television by communications scholars is now. Indeed, Achtenberg's own involvement in SMAP resulted from his realization that the still fluid regulation of cable at the local level offered community groups a chance to influence the dissemination, development, and control of the new medium. The cable operators are asking the public to refrain from interfering until the companies can realize a profit from their investment. Or, as Achtenberg sums it up: "Let us do whatever we can make a buck on, and sooner or later we may get around to giving you what you need" (p. 2). Cable television is a powerful new medium; it is relatively undeveloped. But powerful economic institutions, often in partnership with their governmental regulators, are moving rapidly to solidify control. The present opportunity for the public interest to prevail over narrow economic concerns may not again present itself for decades. Yet Achtenberg believes that there is still time. Community groups can mobilize to demand public control. Communications scholars can evaluate the probable effectiveness of various forms of control and their social consequences. The Cable Book offers useful information to those of both groups interested in making a beginning. In the last analysis, The Cable Book is what it purports to be: a handbook "for groups who are trying to figure out what [cable is] all about and what it is going to mean to them and their communities" (preface). As such, The Cable Book has been prepared primarily for community organizers; but the book is worthwhile reading for students of visual communication, indeed for anyone interested in what this new communications technology portends. References Cited Hall, Arthur, Ill 1973 Introduction. In Communications Technology and Social Policy: Understanding the New "Cultural Revolution ." George Gerbner, Larry P. Gross, and William H. Melody, Eds. New York: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 3-7. Parker, Edwin B. 1973 Technology Assessment or Institutional Change? In Com-munications Technology and Social Policy: Understanding the New "Cultural Revolution." George Gerbner, Larry P. Gross, and William H. Melody, Eds. New York: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 534-547. Sklover, Theodora 1973 The Open Door Policy on Television. In Communications Technology and Social Policy: Understanding the New "Cul-tural Revolution." George Gerbner, Larry P. Gross, and William H .. Melody, Eds. New York: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 327-339. Smith, Ralph Lee 1973 CATV: FCC Rules and the Public Interest. In Communica-tions Technology and Social Policy: Understanding the New "Cultural Revolution." George Gerbner, Larry P. Gross, and William H. Melody, Eds. New York: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 122-123. Walbiri Iconography. Nancy D. Munn. Preface by Victor Turner. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1973. xxii + 234 pp., diagram, figures, map, photographs, bibliog-raphy, index. $16.50 (cloth). Reviewed by Mark Glazer Purdue University The Walbiri, one of the semi-nomadic groups of hunters and gatherers of Central Australia, are well known for their art. This book is, however, not about their art but about the utilization of drawings as a part of what Munn calls a "semiotic" (p. 5) of Walbiri culture. The Walbiri semiotic is to be understood as an ordering structure which is formulated in myth, sign media, and ritual processes. It must be added that this semiotic is in reference to the Walbiri view of life sources and creation. The book is organized around an introduction and eight chapters dealing with Walbiri beliefs, storytelling, and their representation in designs. The first chapter is an introductory chapter on Walbiri culture which among other topics delineates their social organization and the relationships of their patrilineal descent groups to their designs. This is done through the term guruwari. This term refers to both man's ancestral designs, which represent ancestors, and to "ancestral fertility power" (p. 29). Thus, guruwari refers, on the one hand, to the visual (designs) and, on the other, to invisible forces. The second chapter is a general discussion of the different types of designs and to the functions of these designs. The basic types of designs are the yawalyu, the ilbindji and the guruwari. The yawalyu are women's designs which are regarded as unimportant to men and which come into existence through dreams or maternal inheritance. The basic functions of these designs are procreation, health, and the growth of children. 1/bindji designs are created by men to attract women as lovers. The guruwari designs are men's designs and, generally, cannot be seen by women. These designs can be painted on the body, ceremonial objects, the ground, boards, stones, and weapons. They are utilized as a part of camp ceremonies, dramatizations of ancestral events, circumcisions and fertility ceremonies. This makes the guruwari the more important set of designs. The telling of stories through the utilization of sand designs is the topic of the third chapter. Stories are not told through designs among the Walbiri; designs are, however, 126 STUDIES IN THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION utilized as graphic images which accompany the telling of a narrative. Chapter 4 is about the women's designs; they usually refer to food gathering or ceremonies. Most of the contents of these designs are of edible animals. The graphic system is open-ended, and these designs are a continuation of designs utilized in ordinary narrative. The next three chapters {5, 6, and 7) involve men's designs, and these too are a continuation of sand designs utilized in storytelling. These often involve the view that designs represent marks made by ancestors on the local topography. Men's designs are more specialized than those of women and are given a multiplicity of meanings by the narrator. These designs represent the importance of ancestors and through them the relationship between the individual and his social setting. The chapter on banda {fertility) ceremonies demonstrates the relationship between the design system and some ritual constructions. It also discusses symbolic dealings between opposite moieties. In her conclusion, Munn states that Walbiri designs are codes which can be said to be a part of the norms that regulate experience. Thus, the function of these designs as ritual assertion are fundamental to this society. In her account of Walbiri iconography, Munn is concerned with a fundamental aspect of visual anthropology: the role and function of design within the ritual and social context of a society. It is through such studies of the visual aspects of the human experience that we can expect to reach a better understanding of the importance of visual materials in anthropology. Most anthropology is concerned with either the material aspects or the organizational aspects of human life. Munn's book bridges the material and organizational aspects of human life by extending her analysis to the visual. What is noteworthy is how thoroughly the visual materials complete the ritual and organizational aspects of Walbiri life. The importance of such studies for visual and for cultural anthropology has to be emphasized. Munn has given us an absorbing account of the importance of visual materials in the human experience by demonstrating the importance of designs among the Walbiri as a semiotic of human inter-action. REVIEWS AND DISCUSSION 127 

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