Research Catalog

Title

Pacifica : myth, magic, and traditional wisdom from the South Sea Islands / Nadine Amadio ; photographs by John Tristram.

Author

Amadio, Nadine.

Publication

Sydney, Australia ; New York, NY, USA : Angus & Robertson, 1993.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

160 pages; 29 cm

Summary

"Story-telling is one of the great enchantments of life. Pacifica: Myth, Magic and Traditional Wisdom from the South Sea Islands brings us the tales told by the people of the Pacific Islands. Stories of mystery, of everyday magic, and of the powering force of myth." "The existence of myth, of traditional wisdom, in any part of the world is our most precious heritage. Myth was the creative act of the Pacific people. It was so powerful and meaningful, and so in tune with their natural environment, that it profoundly affected every stage of their life. Here, amid settings of astounding natural beauty, many people still live traditional lives and still remember, even live by, the myths that have guided their past." "In spite of its great geographical age and its ancient traditional past, the South Pacific is also the 'new world', the world of promise, of the future. It is a place experiencing great change. Some of these changes will bring new life and energy to the people of the Pacific. Some will bring a deep sense of loss to them, and indirectly to all of us." "All through the Pacific there is a new awareness of a world being lost. The Pacific people are fighting to preserve and renew their traditional past, celebrated in this book in a feast of stories and stunning photographs. Nadine Amadio and John Tristram, with Juniper Films, spent two years filming in the islands of the South Pacific, gathering the stories and images presented here and in the television series Pacifica: Tales from the South Seas. Both book and series pay magnificent tribute to the rich and fascinating heritage of the Pacific people."--Jacket.

Subject

• Tales > Oceania
• Mythology, Pacific Island
• Mythology, Oceanian
• Mythology, Oceanian
• Manners and customs
• Mythology, Pacific Island
• Tales
• Oceania > Social life and customs
• Oceania

Contents

The voice of the turtle : the legend of the turtle-calling of Kadavu -- The hymn of nature : pan pipes of the forest -- The prehistoric migrant : the mystery of the crested iguana -- The artificial islands : the tale of the people of the sea -- Taakura, the moon spirit : a haunting legend of revenge -- Flowers of tears : the legend of Tagimoucia -- The secret cave : the legend of Te Ana Takitaki -- The dance of Ambat : the myth and practice of skull binding -- The warriors : a timeless tradition endures -- Rites of courage : traditional tatooing in Samoa -- A member of the family : the canoes of Kiribati -- The heart of a man : land diving on Pentecost Island -- Riding the waves of heaven : how surfing was born in Tahiti -- The fiery messiah : the John Frum cult -- The fisherman and the eel : the sea people of Kiribati -- The arrival : a painter dreams a modern myth -- The festival of dreams : Goroka Singsing remews the heroes -- Spirits of the dead : a tale of magic and secret worlds -- The twilight of the gods : the blue laws of the Cook Islands -- A royal tradition : Polynesia's last monarchy -- Requiem for a poet : Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa -- The mermaid mammal : the dugong of Port Resolution Bay.

ISBN

• 0207183163
• 9780207183164

LCCN

93228470

OCLC

• ocm29633542
• 29633542
• SCSB-2025598

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library