Tahitians
Special Issue of Ethos Devoted to Robert Levy [journal article review, part 2 of 3]
When he arrived in Tahiti, Robert Levy observed that the village of Piri “had the typical Polynesian, South Seas, soft-utopian exoticism of outrigger canoes, coral reefs, lagoons, [and] a few long haired maidens with flowers in their hair …” But the exoticism faded quickly “to mosquitoes, to boredom, to closer views of the longhaired maidens […]
Special Issue of Ethos Devoted to Robert Levy [journal article review, part 1 of 3]
Robert Levy’s book Tahitians: Mind and Experience in the Society Islands was a landmark study of the emotional and cognitive experiences of the Tahitians in the early 1960s. The book is not only the basis for including the Tahitians in the Encyclopedia of Selected Peaceful Societies portion of this website, it is also one of […]
Tahitians Protest—and Reconcile with Kava
Annual reviews of news from the previous year can be especially boring unless the focus is on unfamiliar events and fascinating places. In a Pacific Magazine story of January 2 reviewing the past year in French Polynesia, some interesting tidbits suggest the ways the Tahitians handle controversial situations. We learn from the news story that […]
Tahitian Dance Mirrors Social Status [journal article review]
The structure of Tahitian dance performances, plus the composition of the performing companies, reveals a lot about social status and gender hierarchies in Tahiti. A journal article late last year by Jane Freeman Moulin, a former dancer on the island, describes the complexities of the performances and explores the nature of the traditional dance routines. […]
Reformers Win Tahitian Elections But Deadlock Remains
The reformist party of Oscar Temaru has won the bi-election in Tahiti on February 13, according to reports from BBC News, but he does not have a majority of seats in the Assembly. His Union for Democracy appears to have won 25 out of the 37 seats contested on Sunday while the party of Gaston […]
Peaceful Societies Survive Tsunami
The deadly tsunami two weeks ago in the Indian Ocean has awakened many to the plight of people who live in low-lying coastal areas and on small islands. On January 6, world leaders announced their intention to support the development of a tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean to match the system in […]
