World War II had relatively little influence on the culture of Tahiti and the surrounding Society Islands of the South Pacific, unlike its effect on much of Melanesia and Micronesia, further west and north. Rather, major changes began in the early 1960s, when France decided to conduct nuclear tests in the area. This decision, with massive transfers of money, technology, and personnel, had "an explosive effect" on Tahitian culture. Levy conducted the research for this book just as the new period was opening, from 1961 to 1964. Thus, we can probably say that no matter how good it is, TAHITIANS is now a historical document. Nevertheless it is an excellent psycho-portrait of a people at a certain point in history, a portrait that utilizes earlier histories and descriptions from the moment of European contact in 1767.

TAHITIANS is a work of psychological anthropology, one of the best I have ever seen. It is a work about Tahitian culture and personality formation that delves into a myriad aspects of life from childbirth, the widespread adoption common in all Polynesian societies, homosexuality, and leadership qualities to religion, moral behavior, and dreams. Language plays a big part in the description---over 200 Tahitian words are used, sometimes frequently, in order to describe relationships and feelings more exactly. Many fascinating insights on Tahitian culture in general can be gleaned from his numerous passages on language. Levy's writing is clear and simple throughout, though a few passages were a little too 'field-specific' to psychology for a layman like myself. At over five hundred pages, the book is nothing if not comprehensive, but Levy did sacrifice analysis for the sake of presenting all his data. The analysis appears throughout, but sometimes does not have a clear direction. The author maintains a modest tone, often retiring from a discussion inconclusively. For example, he tackles older anthropological concerns about the difference between the 'content' and 'process' of thought which led previous generations of scholars to write of the "primitive mind". While his answers are good, and strictly in line with what he found in his own work, they do not answer those concerns. [Perhaps impossible, perhaps conducive to racist thinking in a racism-plagued world.] Another section on 'guilt cultures' vs. 'shame cultures' is also rather inconclusive. It might have been more useful to sidestep these old, oft-debated issues [now half a century or more out of date] to concentrate on his subjects, the villagers of Huahine island and the urban dwellers in a section of Papeete, the formerly sleepy capital of Tahiti. The lack of a strong summary is the weakest point about TAHITIANS; such an amazingly vivid description just fizzles out.

I have reviewed another book in this field for amazon.com---"All the Mothers are One" by Stanley Kurtz about India. Kurtz' book is entirely based on analysis of other writers' theories and building some new ones. He did no field work himself. Levy's book, written entirely on extensive field work and interviews, is just the opposite, yet both are extremely useful works for students wishing to delve further into psychological studies of other cultures. Teachers looking for good books to use in courses touching on psychological anthropology or Pacific Studies have come to the right place. TAHITIANS is an overlooked classic that deserves to be read by a much wider audience than has been the case.

Robert I. Levy's classic work on Tahitians is an unusual meeting point between traditional ethnographies (broad cultural surveys with everything from gardening charms to system of government) and the more recent wave of psychological ethnographies (sometimes so specific that they discuss little but folk beliefs about the self, or semantic analysis of emotion terms). The combination is refreshing: a trained psychoanalyst and psychiatrist conducts more than two years of fieldwork in a Tahitian village, and gives us not only his insights, but also his data, his process of interpretation, and the sociocultural context in which he worked. Levy's Tahiti was also in a continuing process of Westernization and modernization. Salient contrasts for the islanders were "traditional" versus "demi-European" Tahitians, and both again versus the French government and Chinese merchants. The "traditional" Tahitian culture itself, however, came from the interaction of an older Tahitian culture with Protestant missionaries in the 19th century. Levy draws on the historical and comparative records to present a sympathetic picture of a small society caught in complicated times. Finally, Levy is simply a good writer, and appears to be a good fieldworker as well. He introduces us to nine Tahitians, not all of whom are nice or happy. Through them (in one of the early examples of person-centered anthropology), we glimpse something of what it means to be Tahitian. Levy's presentation is neither romantic nor sentimental, but in reading this book, one understands why the South Seas, and Tahiti in particular, have occupied such a large place in the European imagination. It's a pity there aren't more books like this in the anthropological canon.

Addison Pratt's journal has the sweep of a great mini-series! This son of an organ builder runs away to sea, is almost murdered in Hawaii, falls in love a remarkably independent woman and follows her to Canada and proposes, settles down and becomes a captain on the Erie Canal. Then he hears about Joseph Smith and the Mormons and after careful study, he and his wife join and move to Nauvoo. Almost immediately he is sent on a mission to the South Pacific where he labors for 5 years unaware of the murder of Joseph Smith or of his family's expulsion from Nauvoo. At last he returns by way fo the gold fields and reaches Salt Lake City where the Mormons have gathered, but within a year is sent back to Tahiti crossing the Nevada desert to California. In a few months his wife and daughters follow but when they reach Tahiti they find Addison imprisoned by the French government which is suspicious of Americans.
Pratt writes well and is honest, and George Ellsworth has done a thoroughly professional job of editing this massive journal.
Read his wife's journal as well. Louisa Barnes Pratt is equally gifted as a writer and equally courageous and committed to what she believes is true.

In sailing terms, the 1995 small boat anti nuclear protest at Moruroa was amazing achievement.

For reasons best known to themselves, the 1995 small boat anti nuclear protest at Moruroa was largely ignored by the world's sailing press and yet in sailing terms alone it was a phenomenal achievement. Given just 6 weeks for preparations, some 36 boats attended mostly from New Zealand and were largely crewed by amateurs sailors rather than experienced nuclear protesters. The voyage itself was the distance of two trans-Atlantic crossings, held in the middle of winter and with the outward leg mainly to windward. Once at Moruroa, there were no bars or beaches for relaxing, just a hostile reception from French navy and aircraft, and yet, inspite of gear failures, crew disagreements and some appalling weather, all boats returned home safely.

From a small boat perspective, 'The Moruroa Blues' gives a fine account of day to day life in the 'Coffee Shop' - the name given to a featureless patch of ocean to the north west of the atoll entrance which was used as an informal meeting place. In an easy readable style, Lynn Pistoll's describes protest tactics and how they learnt to anticipate and manage antagonism from the French military. These events are an important part of our anti nuclear history and should be told. The 'Moruroa Blues' is a compelling read and I thoroughly recommend it.

This survey of Gauguin's later work and career provided an excellent complement to Maugham's "The Moon and Sixpence". The book provides the historical background to separate the facts from the rumors that circulated after his death. The excellent reproductions (all in color) are well chosen to complement the text and sequenced so that they are on or near the pages on which they are discussed. The book is an easy read and an excellent bargain for a hardbound book so well illustrated.

Ce livre de 150 pages m'a enchantée. Les figures ont été recueillies par KENNETH PIKE EMORY mais c'est HONOR MAUDE qui a fait le livre. Les figures n'ont généralement que la figure finale.Le livre contient également un tableau qui montre quelle figure se retrouvent aussi ailleurs. Le livre a ,environ, 92 figures. Il y a aussi des cycles et des tours de ficelle.

Have you ever wanted to travel to Tahiti, but thought it might be too expensive? Did you want to experience the Polynesia of Gauguin and Bougainville, but thought it had gone forever? Did you think that island archipelagoes such as the Gambiers, Tuamotus and the Societies were beyond your reach?Well, David Stanley's 'Tahiti Polynesia Handbook' will dispel many of the myths you may have heard about this far flung corner of the South Pacific. Stanley's first law of independent travel, is that " the more you spend, the less you experience". This holds true for Tahiti Polynesia as much as anywhere else. Why would you want to stay in a luxury hotel on Bora Bora, which merely creates Waikiki Beach for twice the price?Discover the real Polynesia: be amazed by the myriad colours at Papeete Market. Take 'Le Truck' to travel and meet the Tahitians at work and play. Adjust to island time by taking the slow boat to Moorea: experience the surreal majesty of Matavai Bay on departure and the awesome backdrop that is Mount Rotui as it looms above the deep green of Cook's Bay on arrival.All this and much more is detailed in the Tahiti-Polynesia Handbook. Where to go? What to see? What to do? How to get there? The introductory historical, socio-political, economic and environmental and even gastronomical chapters, answer all of the questions you could ever possibly ask about the islands of Polynesia. Subsequent chapters are full useful hints and tips, aircraft/boat and bus timetables, maps, illustrations, artistic impressions and quotations about this fascinating group of islands. There is also a sprinkling of excellent colour photographs, though more of these wouldn't come amiss!I was originally introduced to the South Pacific through Stanley's much larger volume, the South Pacific Handbook. The Tahiti Polynesia Handbook is small enough to fit into your backpack, yet light enough to avoid excess baggage charges! Having read the book, I now feel the urge to explore outer Polynesia in much greater depth. Names such as Huahine, Raiatea, Rapa Iti, Rangiroa and Fatu Hiva are now within MY reach.Leave the tourist hordes behind and become an independent traveller; experience Tahiti-Polynesia for yourself and get a copy of David Stanley's Tahiti-Polynesia Handbook.

We purchased this book to plan our honeymoon mainly because of the 5 star reviews we read on this site. While the author does provide a lot of information on the different islands in the South Pacific, and some great food recommendations, nothing about this book sets it apart from the other guide books we brought along to Tahiti. In short, compared to other tour books we've fallen in love with, this book is average.

This is one of three books we used on our trip in November of 1998. The best part of this book is the detailed reviews of all of the eating establishments. There are a ton of restaurant reviews, and they are very detailed. We found the recommendations to be pretty accurate. The do it yourself tours and adventures are not as detailed in this book as in the Lonely Planet book. We also found some useful stuff in the moon book that was in neither of these. If you're more of an adventurous type, I would recommend getting the Lonely Planet book as well. The combination of two or three of these books would make the perfect guide. You can read all about our trip and how we used these two books in my travel report on DiveAtlas.com. I Moon and Lonely Planet books came out with new editions after we returned.

Jan Prince's Tahiti & French Polynesia Guide was a great resource to have with us on our trip to French Polynesia. The restaurant and tour references were the most up to date and accurate of the three guidebooks that we took along. We used this book 90% of the time. It was very evident that the book was written by someone that lived in the area. We followed some of the hints on places to see and things to do that were not mentioned in the other guidebooks that we brought along, and could only be known by someone intimate with the area.

As a two time, three island visitor to the islands of Tahiti, I did not find this book helpful because it lacks prices and it focuses on upscale lodging/food. On both trips, I've found David Stanley's TAHITI (by Moon Pub.) to be the BEST guide, providing you purchase the most recent edition, as Tahiti's hotels change with the seasons. David Stanley's guides are full of detailed maps, reviews of hikes, beaches, accomodations (from hostels to resorts), food... His advice has never steered us wrong! We owe some great travel experiences to his guide book; TAHITI by D. Stanley is the only one that you will need.

We bought 3 books and always seemed to rely on this one. Mr Kay gives great info on restaurants and hidden lodgings, which are the 2 most important topics for us. We actually stayed in one place that he labeled "hidden" and he was right! We could not find the entrance and when we did they were not open to the public, but they decided to let us stay and we were the only guests for a week. No other guide book listed this hidden lodging. Mr. Kay has a more personal approach and gives great descriptions, which the other guide books lack. And as far as not giving exact prices, it's useless to do so as these things change so much anyway. All you need to know is this: you stay in a big hotel where all the other tourists stay you will pay big money for not so much, if you venture out to where the real people live, you pay less and get better service, food, and memories.

We are planning our 2001 trip pacific south bound. Picked this book out of the several other's. Liked the cover!the "tone", and contents of the book. It envited me further in and on to the purchase line. Being prior Hawaiian residents, we have always hoped to get down to the true polynesian teritories and experiance, the "raw" and more un-americanized version of Polynesian lifestyle. Rob Kay's book truely stands out to be one of Tahiti's most informative, inspiring light's! I have found. So,thanks Rob for the Torch, it has surely helped enlighten us on our next Journey!

The book is good but I got disappointed with some pictures. The reason is that some of those polynesian guys arent really tattooed - those tattoos are FAKE. Pay attention and you'll see some of their designs being erased by the water. So many tattooed people there and he author decided to pick a non-tattooed guy to draw some fake tattoos just to take his pictures, probably because he found those guys handsome. What a shame.

The book is quite beautifully done in a sepia coloring with artfully done photography of tatoos with a narrative of the history of tatoos throughout Tahiti and Polynesia

The "Robinet D'Amour" tattoo is so witty and amusing.

There are some good line drawings for references to study.

Page 112 does show that the tattoos were painted on and washing off in the ocean.

Aloha!

If you are chartering a sailboat around French Polynesia you should get this book or the Charlies charts book to plan your itinerary. Bring it along and use it too. It helps you navigate, saves you time by pointing out good anchorages, and gives you perspective as to where you are when you are sailing around. If your not sailing, get one of the travel books. Find out which ones by reading my trip report at DiveAtlas.com.

There obviously isn't a large market for books of this kind, which explains why this 1st edition has never been revised and nothing comparable has appeared from other publishers. And Marcia Davock really did create a classic with lots of excellent maps, lively photos, and delightful texts, plus amazingly detailed and useful information on how to stear a sailboat right around Tahiti and Moorea. Back in 1985 when Marcia's book came out, the Leeward Islands (Huahine, Raiatea, Taha'a, Bora Bora, Maupiti, etc) still hadn't developed into the popular charter cruising zones they are today. Thus the Leewards get only 86 pages in the book while the Windwards (Tahiti and Moorea) get 115. If Marcia were writing now, that ratio would certainly be reversed and then some. The Marquesas and Tuamotu islands receive no coverage at all. Nevertheless, as the author of the South Pacific Handbook I strongly recommend this guide to everyone planning a passage under sail through French Polynesia. It will provide stimulating and informative reading matter on the long journey south from Hawaii and lead you into some amazing places later on.