Pacific Island Legends: Tales from Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia and Austrialia
Grade 6 Up-This anthropological tour of the Pacific Islands through legend is as seductive as Bloody Mary beckoning from Bali Hai. Flood acknowledges the paradox of freezing oral stories in print, and attempts to capture each geographical area's history and culture in introductory sections written in a crisp, expository manner. The tales that follow are told in a simple, conversational style. Stories include creation myths, explanations of events, and healthy doses of romance and intrigue where the ocean is the defining element that binds islands and life together. "Micronesia" includes tales from geographically isolated areas (Guam, the Mariana Islands, Palau, the Marshall Islands). From "Melanesia" (Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and others), with over 1000 native language groups, come stories of magical powers, cannibalism, and self-sacrifice. Tales from "Polynesia" explain life, love, and death. Only Australian aboriginal myths incorporate landlocked legends about the sun, the kangaroo, and the origin of frost. Intended as a companion volume to anthropology textbooks, Legends stands nicely on its own as an introductory overview, and interested readers can locate additional legends from specific islands through the extensive bibliography. Sidebar definitions and pronunciation keys assist with unfamiliar vocabulary. Woodcut illustrations are beautifully rendered and culturally evocative; unfortunately, there is no map of the islands. Nevertheless, given the quality and scope of the work, this is an admirable collection.Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.