An Ethnology of the Admiralty Islanders

An Ethnology of the Admiralty Islanders PDF

Author: Sylvia Ohnemus

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 1998-01-01

Total Pages: 454

ISBN-13: 9780824820848

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In 1931-32, Alfred Buhler (1900-81), who for many years was director of the Museum of Ethnology and the Swiss Museum of European Folklife, in Basel, assembled a unique collection documenting the culture of the Admiralty Islanders. The Admiralty Islands are located on the northern edge of the region of Melanesia, and today constitute the Manus province of the independent State of Papua New Guinea. In this book, commissioned by the Museum der Kulturen in Basel, Sylvia Ohnemus for the first time presents the results of Alfred Buhler's collecting and study expedition, which she complements with her own contributions based on information gathered in the field.

Kinship in the Admiralty Islands

Kinship in the Admiralty Islands PDF

Author: Margaret Mead

Publisher: Howard Fertig

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Before her first book was published and lifted her to celebrity, now renowned anthropologist Mead (1901-78) was off on her second venture into the exotic South Pacific, which resulted in this treatise. Guillemin (anthropology, Boston College) contributes a new introduction that sets the work in the context of the profession and Mead's career. There is no index. c. Book News Inc.

Impermanence

Impermanence PDF

Author: Haidy Geismar

Publisher: UCL Press

Published: 2022-03-01

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 1787358690

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Nothing lasts forever. This common experience is the source of much anxiety but also hope. The concept of impermanence or continuous change opens up a range of timely questions and discussions that speak to globally shared experiences of transformation and concerns for the future. Impermanence engages with an emergent body of social theory emphasizing flux and transformation, and brings this into a dialogue with other traditions of thought and practice, notably Buddhism that has sustained a long-lasting and sophisticated meditation on impermanence. In cases drawn from all over the world, this volume investigates the significance of impermanence in such diverse contexts as social death, atheism, alcoholism, migration, ritual, fashion, oncology, museums, cultural heritage and art. The authors draw on a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, art history, Buddhist studies, cultural geography and museology. This volume also includes numerous photographs, artworks and poems that evocatively communicate notions and experiences of impermanence.

Pacific Ethnomathematics

Pacific Ethnomathematics PDF

Author: Nicholas J. Goetzfridt

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2007-09-20

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 0824874641

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This ground-breaking bibliography by distinguished Pacific researcher Nicholas Goetzfridt examines mathematical concepts and practices in Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. It covers number systems, counting, measuring, classifying, spatial relationships, symmetry, geometry, and other aspects of ethnomathematics in relation to a wide range of activities such as trade, education, navigation, construction, rituals and festivals, divination, weaving, tattooing, and music. In compiling nearly five hundred citations, Goetzfridt makes use of the vast resources of writing about the Pacific from the 1700s to the present. In addition to discussing Pacific knowledge systems in general, his introductory chapter includes a helpful overview of the relatively new field of ethnomathematics and important theoretical reflections on the discipline as a research program. Extensive subject and geographic indexes provide numerous ways to experience the rich heritage and history of Pacific ethnomathematical concepts covered in this book, including: the 256 possible knotted fates enabled by the Carolinian sky god Supwunumen, etak segmentation concepts in stellar based voyaging, the highly diverse counting systems of Papua New Guinea, the alignment of stone structures with stars to mark the appearance of the equinox and solstice, and contemporary educational issues in the standardized teaching of Western mathematics.

Pacific Jewelry and Adornment

Pacific Jewelry and Adornment PDF

Author: Roger Neich

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2004-08-31

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 9780824828820

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This magnificent book showcases more than 250 of the finest examples of traditional jewelry from the Pacific. Myriad designs and materials, including jade, whale teeth and bone, shark teeth, tapa, shells, and plant fibers, are woven together in a skillful combination of color and craftsmanship. Apart from their beauty, these personal items also convey information about power, status, and community. Their significance, the ceremonies in which they are worn, and the messages they convey are explored in an illuminating introductory essay. Drawing on the extensive collections of the Auckland Museum, the jewelry shown here represents a vast geographical area: Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Hawaii, Niue, the Marquesas, the Cook Islands, and New Zealand. The amazing variety of styles and materials reflects the lifestyles, preoccupations, and imperatives of a people surrounded by the largest ocean on the planet.

A Grammar of Paluai

A Grammar of Paluai PDF

Author: Dineke Schokkin

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2020-02-24

Total Pages: 534

ISBN-13: 3110675226

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This is the first comprehensive description of Paluai, an Oceanic Austronesian language spoken on Baluan Island in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. Based on extensive field research, the grammar covers all linguistic levels, including phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics, while paying particular attention to pragmatics and discourse practices. This is the first comprehensive description of Paluai, a language from the underdescribed Admiralties subgroup, a first-order branch of Oceanic (Austronesian). Paluai is spoken on Baluan Island in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea, by two to three thousand people. The grammar is based on extensive field research by the author and covers all linguistic levels. After a general introduction of its socio-cultural context, the language's phonology is discussed, followed by two chapters on its parts of speech, divided by open and closed word classes. Following chapters address topics such as the structure of the noun phrase, verbal and non-verbal clauses, grammatical relations, serial verb constructions, mood, negation and clause combining. The final chapter provides an in-depth discussion of pragmatics and discourse practices relevant to Paluai, illustrated through two narrative texts that are included integrally at the end of the book. This grammar is of interest to scholars working on Austronesian languages, particularly those of the New Guinea region, and those working on linguistic typology. It is also relevant to those interested in the history, languages and cultures of this region more generally.

Pacific Art

Pacific Art PDF

Author: Anita Herle

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2002-01-01

Total Pages: 486

ISBN-13: 9780824825560

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Contributors explore the complex relations among Pacific artists, patrons, collectors, and museums over time, as well as the different meanings given to art objects by each.