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This book is a collection of Arthur Grimble's field notes and early writings, brought together in book form with linking pieces and a large number of illustrations. There are chapters on cannibalism and head hunting, on astronomy and on many aspects of the lives of the Gilbertese people from birth to death. Originally published in 1972.
The funny, charming, and self-deprecating adventure story of a young man in the Pacific. Living for thirty years in the Gilbert & Ellis Islands, Grimble was ultimately initiated and tattooed according to local tradition, but not before he was severely tested, as when he was used as human bait for a giant octopus. Beyond the hilarious and frightening adventure stories, A Pattern of Islands is also a true testament to the life of these Pacific islanders. Grimble collected stories from the last generation who could remember the full glory of the old pagan ways. This is anthropology with its hair down.
Grimble's ethnographic studies of the Gilbertese, prepared between 1916 and 1926, provide an excellent baseline account of a fundamentally pre-contact culture. This collection, edited and introduced by H.E. Maude, comprises essays on mythology, history, and dancing; four chapters on the Maneaba; and organized field notes.
In 1970, after serving nearly twenty years in Nigeria, John Smith returned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ready for a fresh assignment as a Commomwealth administrator. The 'powers that be' assured him that they would find him 'an island in the autumn'. The posting turned out to be that of Financial Secretary of the Soloman islands, where he was to implement the new Constitution and develop the economy, an interesting and fulfilling job. It was some surprise therefore when, in 1973, he was recommended to the post of Governor of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, those tiny specks on the map of the vast Pacific Ocean south west of the Solomans. John Smith writes about his life as Governor, Colonial Administrator, Judge and Political Advisor to this 'paradise on earth' at a time when great changes were taking place within the Commonwealth. His was the responsibility to steer the colony towards independence; a task which he fulfilled with great acumen, humour and sagacity until his departure from the islands in 1978. An account which beautifully describes the intricacies of life on a Pacific Island during its progress towards Independence.
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