Oceania: The Native Cultures of Australia and the Pacific Islands

by Douglas L. Oliver

"Part 1 of the book...deals with the geography of the region and with the biological, linguistic, and archaeological evidence concerning the origins of the Oceanians and their movements into and within the region. Part 2 describes the tools and techniques by which the recent (but not yet markedly Westernized) Oceanians satisfied their basic, pan-human needs, as qualified by their many different, culturally defined, perceptions of those needs...Finally,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824810198
• ISBN13: 9780824810191
• Release Date: February 1989
• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
• Length: 1264 Pages
• Weight: 2.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 3.1" x 6.2" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Essential Reference for the South Seas

Douglas Oliver's OCEANIA should be the foundation work for any collection on the South Seas. Forget the various short versions of Oliver's work (they have different titles so there is no problem with getting one of them by mistake). You wouldn't want a condensed version of WAR AND PEACE, and you won't want a shortened version of Oliver. This two volume work is the standard ethnography for Oceania. It is thorough, reliable, and has great illustrations. Like all highly inclusive works, it will not satisfy the specialist. If your interest is solely in the Maori, then you will need special works on the Maori. This work is where the collection starts, whether the collection is to be specialized or fairly general. Whether your interest is in Oceania itself, in Pohnpei alone, in ocean cultures anywhere, or in world history or anthropology, this work deserves shelf space. Does that make it sound difficult or boring? It's interesting to the general reader as well.