Mervyn Meggitt

Mervyn John Meggitt
Born	08 August, 1924
Died	13 November 2004
Occupation	Anthropologist
Academic background
Alma mater	University of Sydney
Academic work
Discipline	Anthropology

Mervyn John Meggitt(20 August 1924 – 13 November 2004 New York State) was an Australiananthropologistand one of the pioneering researchers of highlandPapua New Guineaand ofIndigenous Australiancultures.

Early life

Born inWarwick, Queenslandand educated at theAnglican Church Grammar School(formerly the Church of England Grammar School) inBrisbane,Meggitt served in theRoyal Australian Navyduring theSecond World War.Following demobilisation, he studied psychology and anthropology at theUniversity of Sydney,and between 1953 and 1979, on the suggestion ofA. P. Elkin,he carried out research amongst theWarlpiri(Walbiri) of Central Australia and the people ofEngan Province,Papua New Guinea.

Teaching

Throughout the 1950s he was a lecturer in anthropology at Sydney, but in the 1960s he took up a position as a professor of anthropology at theCity University of New York.His works includeThe Lineage System of the Mae EnganandDesert People: A Study of the Walbiri Aborigines of Australia.But perhaps his most noted work is "Blood is Their Argument," an intensive analysis of the warfare habits of the Engan tribes. The book is widely considered to be among the first ethnographic studies of warfare.

In his work on the people ofEngainPapua New GuineaMeggitt found a firmly patrilineal system. This was unusual as compared to other highland groups, which tended to be organized on a basis of residence as well as descent. Restudies of his material as well the Engan suggest that Meggitt overstated the case, and the Engan may be more like other highland groups than was thought in previous decades.