Oceania is characterized by thousands of islands and archipelagoes amidst the vast expanse of the Pacific. Although it is one of the few truly oceanic habitats occupied permanently by humankind, surprisingly little research has been done on the maritime dimension of Pacific history. The People of the Sea attempts to fill this gap by combining neglected historical and scientific material to provide the first synthetic study of ocean-people interaction in the region from 1770 to 1870. It emphasizes Pacific Islanders' varied and evolving relationships with the sea during a crucial transitional era following sustained European contact. Countering the dominant paradigms of recent Pacific Islands' historiography, which tend to limit understanding of the sea's importance, this volume emphasizes the flux in the maritime environment and how it instilled an expectation and openness toward outside influences and the rapidity with which cultural change could occur in relations between various Islander groups. The author constructs an extended and detailed conceptual framework to examine the ways in which the sea has framed and shaped Islander societies. He looks closely at Islanders' diverse responses to their ocean environment, including the sea in daily life; sea travel and its infrastructure; maritime boundaries; protecting and contesting marine tenure; attitudes to unheralded seaborne arrivals; and conceptions of the world beyond the horizon and the willingness to voyage. He concludes by using this framework to reconsider the influence of the sea on historical processes in Oceania from 1770 to the present and discusses the implications of his findings for Pacific studies.

"Samoan Art and Artists is a wide-ranging survey of both the traditional and contemporary arts of Samoa. The author has drawn on an extensive research base to present a contemporary and accessible picture of a vibrant culture. The book has a broad sweep, covering all facets of the Samoan arts, including canoe and house building, siapo (tapa) weaving, tattooing, oratory, adornment, all forms of performance art, the visual arts, and literature. An important feature of the book is the inclusion of profiles of living practitioners, both from Samoa and the large Samoan communities in other Pacific countries."--Publisher description.

Tongan art, with its elegant sculpture, headrests, body adornment, clubs, containers, tools and fibre work, has made an outstanding contribution to the culture of Oceania. In The Art of Tonga, Keith St. Cartmail's achievement is to draw together all the strands of this island kingdom's material culture into a single volume--surprisingly no other work has done this to date. The author begins by outlining the history of Tonga, then comprehensively details all aspects of Tongan art, ancient and modern. He clearly documents the significance and widespread influence of this beautiful art work through West Polynesia, and argues that despite recent neglect, and in spite of being mutilated and destroyed by missionaries, and dispersed by collectors to all corners of the earth, Tongan art is nonetheless alive and well. Authoritative and accessible, The Art of Tonga is lavishly illustrated with superb and important examples of Tongan art from throughout its history. It is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the magnificent cultures of Oceania.

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.

In this book, Ron Brunton attempts to explain the strange geographical distribution of kava, a narcotic drink once widely consumed by south-west Pacific islanders.

Includes detailed chapters devoted to each of the five major cultural regions of the Pacific: Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and the islands of Southeast Asia.