VI OG VORE HUNDE: Et antropologisk perspektiv

Abstract

Ida Nicolaisen: We and our dogs - an

anthropological perspective

The cultural perceptions and classifications

of animals form a classical theme in anthropological

theory. However, few anthropologists

have analysed man’s relations with and

understanding of ‘his oldest friend’ the dog.

This article tries to remedy this. It focuses on

the economic and symbolic significance of

the dog among the Punan Bah, a tiny ethnic

group in central Bomeo and its role in their

cognitive universe and its transformation. It

is argued that research may prove the dog to

hold a similar significant social and cultural

role in the western world.