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The Island Civilization of Polynesia
Where did the Polynesians come from? Why did they leave their original homeland? How did they find their way across the open sea to unknown lands? Did they ever set foot on South American soil? These are just some of the questions anthropologist Robert C. Suggs deals with in this challenging culture history of the Polynesians whose accomplishments in the field of navigation rank with the greatest maritime achievements in human history.
Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1960
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 26, 2017
I liked this book. It was much better than I thought it would be. It was written by an archaeoligist and anthropologist in the late 1950's so I thought it would be pretty racist. To be fair the author does use out-dated terms like 'mongoloid' and 'negroid' but he does demonstrate a genuine respect for various peoples and cultures so I'm inclined to view this as merely the product of where society was at a certain time.
The author gives a very interesting perspective on the origins and evolution on the Polynesian people and their various cultures. He lauds their seafaring abilities and attempts to explain the reasons for their cultural evolution. He is remarkably humorous and poetic for a scientific writer. Then again science writers so often are. Science is inspiring and interpreting and explaining science takes the skill of an artist at times.
Suggs also addresses linguistics. An area I am fascinated by. Crucially in this field it is key to explaining and understanding the interrelatedness of the various Polynesian cultures and working out the pattern of their evolution and migration across the vast expanses of ocean they traversed at the same time as the Vikings thought sailing to Iceland was baddass they crossed thousands of miles of bare ocean in primitive rafts against prevailing headwinds and managed to find home on the tiniest of landmasses (as well as some big ones).
The author has massive beef with Thor Heyerdahl (of Kon-Tiki fame). He exposes him as a show-boating fraudster and strips bare all of Heyerdahl's theories with a very scathing dry humour I didn't know Americans were capable of.
The author gives a very interesting perspective on the origins and evolution on the Polynesian people and their various cultures. He lauds their seafaring abilities and attempts to explain the reasons for their cultural evolution. He is remarkably humorous and poetic for a scientific writer. Then again science writers so often are. Science is inspiring and interpreting and explaining science takes the skill of an artist at times.
Suggs also addresses linguistics. An area I am fascinated by. Crucially in this field it is key to explaining and understanding the interrelatedness of the various Polynesian cultures and working out the pattern of their evolution and migration across the vast expanses of ocean they traversed at the same time as the Vikings thought sailing to Iceland was baddass they crossed thousands of miles of bare ocean in primitive rafts against prevailing headwinds and managed to find home on the tiniest of landmasses (as well as some big ones).
The author has massive beef with Thor Heyerdahl (of Kon-Tiki fame). He exposes him as a show-boating fraudster and strips bare all of Heyerdahl's theories with a very scathing dry humour I didn't know Americans were capable of.
August 24, 2020
It's a mixed feeling of dread and excitement as the author runs through various sections using various styles. While he eloquently defines the migration theories and the forces behind it, the minute comparisons of archaeological and anthropological data for example are quite dry and boring.
So while I did hang on to his wild ocean voyage hoping islands, I quickly skipped the detailed technical aspects.
The criticism of the Kon Tiki theory was the most amusing and interesting chapter as I had believed those claims and the exciting adventure associated with it had sealed those discoveries for me. But from the eye of this author, supported by scores of evidences and criticism of Kon-Tiki methodologies, I shifted my position too.
As I finally put down this book, what I retain with pleasure are the images of pristine atolls and deserted islands being populated by an adventurous population that has a very complex and often mysterious ancestory. I also jotted down lots of points that I plan to keep reading on the internet and maybe pick another book for detailed study, like the Maori culture, the conflicts with the Europeans, contemporary administration of the Polynesian islands etc.
So while I did hang on to his wild ocean voyage hoping islands, I quickly skipped the detailed technical aspects.
The criticism of the Kon Tiki theory was the most amusing and interesting chapter as I had believed those claims and the exciting adventure associated with it had sealed those discoveries for me. But from the eye of this author, supported by scores of evidences and criticism of Kon-Tiki methodologies, I shifted my position too.
As I finally put down this book, what I retain with pleasure are the images of pristine atolls and deserted islands being populated by an adventurous population that has a very complex and often mysterious ancestory. I also jotted down lots of points that I plan to keep reading on the internet and maybe pick another book for detailed study, like the Maori culture, the conflicts with the Europeans, contemporary administration of the Polynesian islands etc.
August 9, 2020
Suggs was a pioneer of South Pacific archaeology. He worked especially in the remote and difficult Marquesas Islands. He was one of the first to try to do stratigraphic archaeology in the Pacific. While this book is now out of date -- there has been much progress since the 1960s -- it is well worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews