Research Catalog

Title

Aphrodite's island : the European discovery of Tahiti / Anne Salmond.

Author

Salmond, Anne

Publication

North Shore, N.Z. : Penguin/Viking, 2009.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

537 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps; 24 cm

Summary

Aphrodite's Island is a bold new account of the European discovery of Tahiti, the Pacific island of mythic status in Western imaginings about sexuality, the exotic, and the nobility or bestiality of "savages." In this groundbreaking book, Anne Salmond takes readers to the centre of these societies' shared history to furnish rich insights into Tahitian perceptions of the visitors while illuminating the full extent of European fascination with Tahiti. As she discerns the impact and meaning of the European effect on the island, she demonstrates how, during the early contact period, the mythologies of Europe and Tahiti intersected and became entwined. Drawing on Tahitian oral histories, European manuscripts and artworks, and collections of Tahitian artefacts, and illustrated with sketches, paintings, and engravings from the voyages, Aphrodite's Island provides a vivid account of the Europeans' Tahitian adventures. The book's many compelling insights into Tahitian life will significantly change the way we view the history of this small island during a period when it became a crossroads for Europe.

Subject

• Pacific Islanders > First contact with other peoples > French Polynesia > Tahiti (Island)
• Tahitians > Travel > History
• Public opinion > Europe > History
• Opinion publique > Europe > Histoire
• Public opinion, European
• Public opinion
• Pacific Islanders > First contact with other peoples
• Ethnic relations
• Civilization > Foreign influences
• Colonial influence
• Discoveries in geography
• Tahiti (French Polynesia : Island) > Discovery and exploration
• Tahiti (French Polynesia : Island) > Ethnic relations
• Tahiti (French Polynesia : Island) > History
• Tahiti (French Polynesia : Island) > Civilization > Foreign influences
• Tahiti (French Polynesia : Island) > Colonial influence
• Tahiti (French Polynesia : Island) > Foreign public opinion, European
• Tahiti (Polynésie française) > Découverte et exploration
• Tahiti (Polynésie française) > Histoire
• Tahiti (Polynésie française) > Civilisation > Influence étrangère
• Tahiti (Polynésie française) > Influence coloniale
• Tahiti (Polynésie française) > Relations interethniques
• Europe
• French Polynesia > Tahiti (Island)

Genre/Form

History

Note

• Originally published by University of California Press, 2009.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 470-517) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Awards (note)

• New Zealand Post Book Awards 2010 Non-Fiction Finalist.

Contents

Introduction: Aphrodite's island -- Thunder in 'Opoa -- The glorious children of Tetumu -- Purea, 'Queen' of Tahiti -- Happy island of Cythera -- Ahutoru at the opéra -- A Polynesian Venus -- Captain Cook in Arcadia -- The transit of Venus -- Circling the land -- Tupaia's ship -- The viceroy of Peru -- Tute's return -- Hitihiti's odyssey -- The red feathers of 'Oro -- Three Tahitians in Lima -- Boenechea's burial -- Matimo and the friars -- Ma'i on ice skates -- A bare-chested captain -- Tute's portrait -- Conclusion: The angel of history -- Appendix 1: The seasons in Tahiti.

ISBN

• 9780670073962
• 0670073962

LCCN

2009529045

OCLC

• 428819829
• SCSB-11609650

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library