Lost-world stories historically have been an honored form in both science fiction and fantasy, but
with the steady shrinking of the unexplored portion of the world, they have largely fallen out of
favor with modern writers. “Among the Dangs”
was one of the last major stories to make effective
use of the device, and one of the few stories to examine serious themes rather than present a
straightforward adventure. A young American is
trained in the language of the Dangs, a previously
unknown tribe native to Ecuador, when two members of the tribe wander outside their homeland.
Ignorant of their customs, the American attempts
to insert himself into their culture in order to study
them.
Although all parties in this case are human,
the setting resembles several science fiction stories wherein human scientists attempt to mingle
with or at least study alien cultures. The society
of the Dangs is in fact so different from that of
George P. ELLIOTT’s presumed readers that the
Dangs might as well be from another planet. The
unnamed protagonist pays a second visit several
years later, and this time becomes one of an elite
corps of prophets of the tribe, even though he still
does not fully understand their culture. Some
years after that visit, desperate to improve his
credentials as an anthropologist, he pays them a
third extended visit, this time risking his life on
his ability to provide prophesy without the aid of
hallucinogenic drugs.
The story illustrates a well-known scientific
principle—that by the very act of observation, the
scientist changes the object being observed. However, it includes a corollary: The act of observation
can also have the effect of altering the observer.
This story was widely discussed within the genre
and was reprinted several times in both science fiction and general contexts. Although Elliott would
occasionally write science fiction again in his career, sometimes much more overtly, none of his
subsequent tales rivaled the impact of “Among the
Dangs.”