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.
1. Outline of Tikopia Culture 2. Ceremonies for Children 3. Privilege Ceremonies 4. Bond Friendship 5. Suicide and Risk-Taking 6. Rumour in a Primitive Society with a Note on the Theory of ‘Cargo’ Cults 7. The Meaning of Dreams 8. The Analysis of Mana: An Empirical Approach 9. The Sociology of ‘Magic’ 10. Ritual Adzes in Tikopia 11. Totemism in Polynesia 12. Economics and Ritual in Sago Extraction 13. The Plasticity of Myth 14. Individual Fantasy and Social Norms: Seances with Spirit Mediums 15. The Fate of the Soul 16. A Commentary
Biography
Raymond Firth
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. . . 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
