Each one of the 34 readings in this text is derived from rigorously collected field data, and addresses the major questions about art in small-scale societies: what does art do, what meanings does it convey, who makes it, how is it conceptualized by those who use it, and how does it change with the passage of time? Over 100 illustrations provide visual references and the text represents a wide variety of cultures, art forms (not only visual arts but performing arts as well), authorial voices, and theoretical models. For artists, sociologists, undergraduate and graduate readers.