The Deadliest Snakes: A Warning To Stay Awake

'Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes' is a book by linguist Daniel Everett, detailing his time spent with the Pirahã, a small tribe of Amazonian Indians in Brazil. Everett, a Christian missionary, arrived in 1977 with his wife and three young children, intending to convert the tribe to Christianity. However, he soon became fascinated by their language and way of life, which defied all existing linguistic theories. The Pirahã have no counting system, no fixed terms for colour, no concept of war or personal property, and live entirely in the present. Over three decades, Everett spent a total of seven years among the Pirahã, and his account is an engrossing exploration of language and culture, as well as a personal memoir.

The Pirahãs' daily routines

The Pirahãs are a small tribe of Amazonian Indians in central Brazil. They have a unique language that defies all existing linguistic theories and reflects a way of life that is distinct from contemporary understanding. The Pirahãs have no counting system, no fixed terms for colour, no concept of war, and no personal property. They live entirely in the present and only concern themselves with directly experienced events. They also have a very conservative culture, rarely adopting new innovations.

The Pirahãs are closely connected to their natural environment. They use the river as a point of reference for orientation and spend a lot of time in the jungle, where they are exposed to dangerous animals and insects. They are skilled hunters and fishermen, using bows and arrows, fishing hooks, and canoes. They also gather Brazil nuts, latex, and copaiba, which they trade with river traders for goods such as clothing and tools.

The Pirahãs have a strong oral tradition, with storytelling and singing being an important part of their culture. They also have a rich spiritual life, often speaking to and seeing spirits. However, they have no formal religious structures or creation myths, and they do not plan or worry about the future. They live in the present and focus on what they can directly experience or observe.

The Pirahãs' language

The Pirahã language is spoken by the Pirahã people, an indigenous group of hunter-gatherers living in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. It is the only surviving dialect of the Mura language, with all other dialects having died out in the last few centuries. Pirahã is estimated to have between 250 and 380 speakers and is not in immediate danger of extinction.

Pirahã is most notable for its extremely small phoneme inventory, comparable to Rotokas (New Guinea) and the Lakes Plain languages. It has been claimed that Pirahã has as few as ten phonemes, or even as few as nine for women, who sometimes substitute /h/ for /s/. However, this analysis does not consider the tones of Pirahã, which bring the number of phonemes to at least twelve.

Pirahã is also notable for its simple kinship system. For example, the word 'baíxi' is used for both 'mother' and 'father', and they do not appear to keep track of relationships more distant than biological siblings.

The language is agglutinative, using a large number of affixes to communicate grammatical meaning. It also uses suffixes that communicate evidentiality, indicating whether an action is deduced from circumstantial evidence or based on hearsay.

Pirahã has no words for precise numbers, only concepts for a small or larger amount. It may also have no unique words for colours, only terms for light and dark.

The Pirahã can whistle their language, which is how they communicate when hunting in the jungle.

The Cost of Discipleship

The book "Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes" by Daniel Everett is a fascinating account of the author's journey, both physical and spiritual, as he immerses himself in the culture and language of the Pirahã people in the Amazonian jungle. Everett, a Christian missionary, initially set out with the goal of converting the Pirahã to Christianity. However, his encounter with this unique tribe led him down a path of self-discovery and a re-evaluation of his own beliefs. In this essay, we will explore the concept of "The Cost of Discipleship" as it relates to Everett's experiences and the impact of his interactions with the Pirahã.

For Everett, the cost of discipleship was high, and it came in various forms. Firstly, there was a physical cost. Living in the Amazonian jungle presented numerous challenges and dangers, from deadly animals and insects to life-threatening diseases like malaria. Everett and his family had to endure harsh living conditions, with minimal resources and constant exposure to the elements. He also faced cultural barriers and the difficulty of learning the Pirahã language, which was unlike any other in existence.

Additionally, there was an emotional and spiritual cost. Everett's initial goal of converting the Pirahã was met with resistance. The Pirahã had no interest in his attempts to introduce them to Christianity, and their way of life challenged his own beliefs. This led Everett to question his faith and ultimately lose his religious convictions. He writes, "I would go so far as to suggest that the Pirahã are happier, fitter, and better adjusted to their environment than any Christian or other religious person I have ever known." This internal struggle took a toll on his mental well-being and resulted in a crisis of faith.

Furthermore, Everett's experiences with the Pirahã had a lasting impact on his personal life. He writes about the breakdown of his marriage and the strain on his relationships with his children. His journey of self-discovery and changing beliefs caused a rift in his family, as they struggled to understand and accept his new perspective.

The Impact of the Pirahã Culture

The Pirahã culture played a significant role in shaping Everett's discipleship journey. Their way of life, which prioritized the "immediacy of experience," stood in stark contrast to his own. The Pirahã had no interest in abstract concepts, future plans, or personal possessions. They lived entirely in the present and found contentment in their simple existence. This clashed with Everett's mission to introduce them to a religion that required faith in unseen concepts and a heavenly reward after death.

The Pirahã's lack of a counting system and fixed terms for colors also challenged Everett's understanding of language and its relationship to culture. He discovered that their language, with its unique grammatical structures and evidentiality, reflected their way of life. This led him to question the universality of linguistic theories and the impact of culture on grammar.

In conclusion, "Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes" is a powerful narrative that highlights the high cost of discipleship for Everett. His physical, emotional, and spiritual journey was shaped by his encounters with the Pirahã people and their unique culture. Through his experiences, Everett learned valuable lessons about language, thought, and life itself. His discipleship cost him his faith, his marriage, and his initial understanding of the world, but it also brought him closer to the Pirahã people and offered him a different perspective on life and spirituality.

Material Culture and the Absence of Ritual

The Pirahã are a small tribe of Amazonian Indians in Brazil, whose language and way of life defy existing theories and contemporary understanding. In his book, *Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle*, linguist Daniel Everett recounts his three decades of living and studying with the Pirahã, and how this experience profoundly changed his life and beliefs. Everett's work is part passionate memoir, part scientific exploration, and part anthropological study. It offers a unique insight into the nature of language, thought, and life itself.

The Pirahã Language and Culture

The Pirahã language is unrelated to any other, with only 3 vowels and 8 consonants. It has no fixed terms for colours and no counting system. The Pirahã have no concept of war or personal property, and they live entirely in the present. They value the immediacy of experience and only concern themselves with directly experienced events. Their culture is conservative and resistant to innovation. Everett describes the Pirahã as a peaceful and happy people, content with their simple way of life.

The Impact on Everett's Life and Beliefs

Everett's original goal was to learn the Pirahã language to translate the Bible and convert them to Christianity. However, his experiences with the Pirahã led him to question his own beliefs and values. He struggled to reconcile the Pirahã's worldview with his Christian faith. The Pirahã's focus on the immediacy of experience and rejection of second-hand information made it difficult for Everett to convince them of the existence of Jesus or the need for salvation. The Pirahã's contentment and lack of interest in Western culture and religion caused Everett to re-evaluate his own faith, eventually leading him to abandon it.

The Impact on Linguistics

The Pirahã language also challenged existing linguistic theories, particularly Noam Chomsky's theory of universal grammar. Everett argues that the Pirahã language does not contain recursion, contrary to Chomsky's claim that recursion is a feature of all human languages. This finding has sparked debate and controversy in the field of linguistics. Everett suggests that culture and grammar are closely linked and that language cannot be studied effectively apart from its cultural context.

In conclusion, Everett's work provides a fascinating insight into the material culture and rituals of the Pirahã. Through his experiences, Everett demonstrates how cross-cultural differences can render perceptions of reality nearly incommensurable. His work challenges existing theories in linguistics and raises important questions about the relationship between language, culture, and thought.

Families and Community

In 'Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes', Daniel Everett describes his time living with the Pirahã people of the Amazon and his observations of their culture and language. The Pirahã community is made up of around 300 people, living in villages along 240 miles of the Maici River in Brazil.

The Pirahã mostly live in nuclear families, but there is a strong sense of community and mutual responsibility for each other's well-being. This sense of community is strengthened by the Pirahã's use of 'xahaigí', a term that conveys a sense of belonging, family, and brotherhood. The Pirahã people are very aware of what is happening in other villages and with other individuals, and news travels fast along the river.

The river is vital to the Pirahã's social and physical lives, and their villages are built as close to it as possible. During the dry season, when beaches emerge along the river, the Pirahã move their settlements to these beaches, where they sleep directly on the sand with little to no shelter. At this time of year, the entire community swells to 50-100 people sleeping and eating together on a single beach, although family members sleep near each other at night.

The Pirahã's sense of humour also contributes to their strong community. They laugh about everything, including their own misfortunes, and they enjoy playing practical jokes. This shared humour is possible because of the community's strong sense of trust and shared values.

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