Raymond Firth

Originally published in 1970, this book represents a unique study of beliefs and ritual practices in a pagan religion, and of the processes by which a transformation to Christianity took place. Christianity came to the major islands of Polynesia nearly two centuries ago, and within a couple of generations, the traditional pagan religion had disappeared. Only a few remote islands such as Tikopia preserved their ancient cults. Over eighty years ago, the author first observed and took part in these pagan rites, and on later visits he studied the change from paganism to Christian faith. Unique in its rich documentation, this book presents a systematic account of the traditional beliefs in gods and spirits and of the way in which these were fused with the social and political structure. The causes and dramatic results of the conversion to Christianity are then described, ending with an examination of the religious situation at the time of the book’s original publication. The book is both a contribution to anthropology and a case study in religious history. It completes the major series of studies of Tikopia society for which the author is famous. It gives the first full account of a Polynesian religious system in a state of change.

A Study in Polynesian Paganism and Conversion to Christianity.

Rank and Religion in Tikopia (Routledge Revivals)

Re-visiting Tikopia a decade after his first visit, Raymond Firth here examines what impact the forces of modernization had on Tikopia society with regard to economics, law, politics and social affairs. Suffering a famine whilst there, the author also examined the issues of responsibility for the famine; problems of distribution in ceremonial and ritual; institutional developments from the famine. Originally published in 1959.

Re-study of a Polynesian community after a generation

Social Change in Tikopia

The Fate of the Soul

Bronislaw Malinowski

Man and Culture. An Evaluation of the Work of Bronislaw Malinowski. Edited by R. Firth. [By Various Authors. With Portraits and a Bibliography.].

Basil S. Yamey

Raymond William Firth

Contemporary problems of economic and social change have obliged social scientists from different fields to learn much about each others' work as well as about the specific problems they are together seeking to solve. The bearing of economic conditions on the character of a social system has become more apparent to anthropologists, and, similarly, economists have become more aware of the relevance of social factors to economic decisions. This pioneering book is at the point of contact between these two disciplines, presenting detailed studies from many societies of the interaction between social and economic relationships. The studies in this volume--all by social anthropologists --focus on the formation and management of capital, since this process is central to the economic functioning and growth of all societies. With this central theme, the essays cover a very wide geographic range and an equally wide range of social and economic structures. The book begins with an essay by Firth, who provides an extended outline discussion of the main problems and issues to be covered, and ends with an essay by Yamey, who provides summarizing comments and queries. The volume will be especially useful to those concerned with the problems and prospects of economic and social change in underdeveloped areas, in addition to economists and anthropologists concerned with what each can learn from the other. Raymond Firth (1901-2002) was professor at the London School of Economics. His best-known research was on people of the Southeastern most part of Asia as well as Oceania. He was an honorary fellow at the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. B.S. Yamey is professor emeritus in the department of economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is also an honorary fellow at the university.

Capital, Saving and Credit in Peasant Societies

First published in 1967, this book gives some of the fruits of the author's study of Tikopia ways of thought as the result of three field expeditions. Most Polynesians became Christians more than a century ago but Tikopia had a substantial pagan population until quite recent years. This book of essays describes rites and beliefs of a people who still maintained their traditional institutions remote from civilization. Studies of totemism, of magic and of beliefs in the fate of the soul in the afterworld, not only throw new light on Polynesian attitudes but also contribute some novel ideas to the interpretation of standard theoretical problems in social anthropology. Studies of rumour, suicide, and a new essay on spirit mediumship, also provide links between social anthropology and psychology. A general review based on the author's visit in 1966 describes the modern position after the adoption of Christianity.

Tikopia Ritual and Belief (Routledge Revivals)

Recognized as a major work when first published, this title has, over the years, become a classic. Forming the basis of modern social anthropology, We the Tikiopia stands in the forefront of its literature. The book is an excellent example of fieldwork analysis of a primitive society; a complete account of the working of a primitive kinship system; and an exhaustive and sophisticated study of Polynesian social institutions. First published in 1936.

A sociological study of kinship in primitive Polynesia

We the Tikopia

First published in 1929, Raymond Firth’s original and insightful study offers an incredibly detailed account of the social and economic organisation of the Maori people before their contact with Western civilisation. Bridging the gap between anthropology and economics, the work covers the class structure, land system, industry, methods of co-operative labour, exchange and distribution, and the psychological foundations of Maori society. This reissue will be welcomed by all students of anthropology and anyone interested the history of the Maori people.

Primitive Economics of the New Zealand Maori (Routledge Revivals)

Adolphus Peter Elkin

Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown

Includes the sections "Reviews" and "Bibliographical notes."

Oceania

A Journal Devoted to the Study of the Native Peoples of Australia, New Guinea, and the Islands of the Pacific Ocean

The Analysis of Mana: An Empirical Approach

B.S. Yamey

The formation and management of capital are among the central issues in economic growth, especially in 'under-developed' countries, and form the main theme in this volume. The societies examined vary widely, both geographically and also in terms of types of social and economic structures. First published in 1964.

Studies from Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean and middle America

A Sociological Study of Kinship in Primitive Polynesia

We, the Tikopia

A small island in the Solomon Islands group, Tikopia is in Melanesia but its culture and language are Polynesian. This comprehensive dictionary with its copious examples is a useful contribution to comparative linguistics.

Raymond Firth

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