Description

Book Synopsis

The Wana people of Morowali accept the experiences of pain, illness and loss and transform them into something positive: rituals that celebrate life, friendship and the community. Through fieldwork with the Wana people of Morowali, Central Sulawesi, Giorgio Scalici shows how music serves as a connection between the human world and the hidden world of spirits and emotion.

By examining rituals such as the momago, the main Wana healing ritual, and the kayori, the funeral, this book investigates how music is used by the Wana to heal people, control emotions, reinforce the sense of community and to mark the cultural death of the community member. In this study, music transforms the pain of loss into a playful event that heals the community and assures its future.

This book will be of interest to the wider academic study of religion, anthropology and ethnomusicology as it looks as at funerals as healing rituals for the community which lead the living and the dead through critical times.

Pain Play and Music

    Product form

    A Paperback by Giorgio Scalici

    £28.99

    Includes FREE delivery

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Wed 16 Sep 2026.

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Pain Play and Music by Giorgio Scalici

      Book details

      Publisher Bloomsbury
      Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
      Published 27 November 2025
      ISBN-13 9781350236295
      978-1350236295
      Also in:
      Comparative religion

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      The Wana people of Morowali accept the experiences of pain, illness and loss and transform them into something positive: rituals that celebrate life, friendship and the community. Through fieldwork with the Wana people of Morowali, Central Sulawesi, Giorgio Scalici shows how music serves as a connection between the human world and the hidden world of spirits and emotion.

      By examining rituals such as the momago, the main Wana healing ritual, and the kayori, the funeral, this book investigates how music is used by the Wana to heal people, control emotions, reinforce the sense of community and to mark the cultural death of the community member. In this study, music transforms the pain of loss into a playful event that heals the community and assures its future.

      This book will be of interest to the wider academic study of religion, anthropology and ethnomusicology as it looks as at funerals as healing rituals for the community which lead the living and the dead through critical times.

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account