Overview

First published in 1967, this book gives some of the fruits of the author's study of Tikopia ways of thought as the result of three field expeditions. Most Polynesians became Christians more than a century ago but Tikopia had a substantial pagan population until quite recent years. This book of essays describes rites and beliefs of a people who still maintained their traditional institutions remote from civilization. Studies of totemism, of magic and of beliefs in the fate of the soul in the afterworld, not only throw new light on Polynesian attitudes but also contribute some novel ideas to the interpretation of standard theoretical problems in social anthropology. Studies of rumour, suicide, and a new essay on spirit mediumship, also provide links between social anthropology and psychology. A general review based on the author's visit in 1966 describes the modern position after the adoption of Christianity.

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9780415694698

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Reviews

No people have ever been studied from this point of view in such minute detail and with such scholarly documentation. The picture of life in this island is presented in the most readable form, for Dr Firth is a master of English prose. Listener The value of this book lies in just this careful observation of intimate human relationships, and in the wealth of material on which its conclusions are based. . . The book is thus a valuable experiment in the new technique of direct sociological research originally inspired by Professor Malinowski. New Statesman To anthropologists, the publication of this book is an important event. Psychologists, sociologists and all who take a less professional interest in the expression of the basic human emotions in an unfamiliar setting will study it with profit and those who ask no more than thc romance of distant skies may read it with pleasure. Spectator

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Raymond Firth

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