Indeed, in my first piece of Ethnographic research on the South coast, it was not until I was alone in the district that I began to make some headway; and, at any rate, I found out where lay the secret of effective field-work.
What is then this ethnographer’s magic, by which he is able to evoke the real spirit of the natives, the true picture of tribal life?
As usual, success can only be obtained by a patient and systematic application of a number of rules of common sense and well-known scientific principles, and not by the discovery of any marvellous short-cut leading to the desired results without effort or trouble.
The principles of method can be grouped under three main headings;
- first of all, naturally, the student must possess real scientific aims, and know the values and criteria of modern ethnography.
- Secondly, he ought to put himself in good conditions of work, that is, in the main, to live without other white men, right among the natives.
- Finally, he has to apply a number of special methods of collecting, manipulating and fixing his evidence.
A few words must be said about these three foundation stones of fieldwork, beginning with the second as the most elementary.