Sabine Kuegler
Encyclopedia
Sabine Kuegler is a German
author. She has written several books, two of which have been translated into English. These two books are related to her uncommon childhood: from age 7 to age 17 she lived with her parents and two siblings in the jungle of West Papua, with the remote tribe of the Fayu
.
Her parents were the first whites to live with the newly discovered tribe of about 400 people, who still hunted with bow
and arrow, ate snakes, insects and worms, and practiced inter-tribal warfare and revenge killings. The Kueglers were there to study the tribe's language. Her mother, trained as a nurse, performed midwife duties with the tribe. At age 17, Sabine Kuegler left and attended a Swiss boarding school. She is divorced and has four children. Her parents have returned to Germany.
Her best-selling first book Dschungelkind (Jungle Child) (Droemer Knaur, München 2005, ISBN 3-426-27361-6) describes her experiences in the two different cultures and her occasional nostalgia for the simpler, slower life of the tribe. An English translation (Jungle Child, ISBN 1-84408-261-X) appeared in the same year. Her second book, Ruf des Dschungels (Call of the Jungle) (Droemer Knaur, München 2006, ISBN 3-426-27393-4) describes a visit to the Fayu that she undertook in late 2005.
The German group Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker
criticized her first book, claiming that it romanticized the life of the Fayu and pointing out that it failed to mention the human rights violations of the Indonesia
n government against Papua peoples, and their endangerment by clearing of the jungle and industrial projects. In her second book and in public appearances, Sabine Kuegler was able to emphasized these political issues since her parents left West Papua in 2006 enabling her to go public with her political activities and has aimed to be spokesperson for the threatened Fayu.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
author. She has written several books, two of which have been translated into English. These two books are related to her uncommon childhood: from age 7 to age 17 she lived with her parents and two siblings in the jungle of West Papua, with the remote tribe of the Fayu
Fayu
The Fayu are an ethnic group that live in an area of swampland in New Guinea. When first contacted by westerners they numbered about 400; a number reduced from about 2000 due to violence within the group. The Fayu generally live in single family groups with gatherings of several such groups once or...
.
Her parents were the first whites to live with the newly discovered tribe of about 400 people, who still hunted with bow
Bow (weapon)
The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...
and arrow, ate snakes, insects and worms, and practiced inter-tribal warfare and revenge killings. The Kueglers were there to study the tribe's language. Her mother, trained as a nurse, performed midwife duties with the tribe. At age 17, Sabine Kuegler left and attended a Swiss boarding school. She is divorced and has four children. Her parents have returned to Germany.
Her best-selling first book Dschungelkind (Jungle Child) (Droemer Knaur, München 2005, ISBN 3-426-27361-6) describes her experiences in the two different cultures and her occasional nostalgia for the simpler, slower life of the tribe. An English translation (Jungle Child, ISBN 1-84408-261-X) appeared in the same year. Her second book, Ruf des Dschungels (Call of the Jungle) (Droemer Knaur, München 2006, ISBN 3-426-27393-4) describes a visit to the Fayu that she undertook in late 2005.
The German group Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker
Society for Threatened Peoples
Society for Threatened Peoples is an international NGO and human rights organization based in Göttingen, Germany. It seeks to create awareness of and protect minority peoples around the world who are threatened by oppressive governments. The group states on its website that it "campaigns against...
criticized her first book, claiming that it romanticized the life of the Fayu and pointing out that it failed to mention the human rights violations of the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n government against Papua peoples, and their endangerment by clearing of the jungle and industrial projects. In her second book and in public appearances, Sabine Kuegler was able to emphasized these political issues since her parents left West Papua in 2006 enabling her to go public with her political activities and has aimed to be spokesperson for the threatened Fayu.
External links
- Sabine Kuegler, profile, interview and book extract at Virago PressVirago PressVirago is a British publishing company founded in 1973 by Carmen Callil to publish books by women writers. Both new works and reissued books by neglected authors have featured on the imprint's list....
- BBC Interview, 21 September 2005
- BBC Interview, 28 December 2005
- Book review of Jungle Child, Perceptive Travel online magazine, March/April 2007
- Interview Daily Telegraph 20.9.2005
- English website for the book Jungle Child.
- German website for the book Dschungelkind (Jungle Child).
- Website of Sabine's sister Judith, containing information on their childhood.