History and Tradition in Melanesian Anthropology

Carrier, James G.

Berkeley : University of California Press, 1992

"Melanesian societies, like village societies in many parts of the world, are frequently portrayed as existing in a timeless, traditional present. These seven original essays offer an alternative view, one showing that historical evidence can and must inform our understanding of contemporary cultures."Publisher description

The Heart of the Pearl Shell : the mythological dimension of Foi sociality

Weiner, James F.

 Berkeley : University of California Press, 1988

"For the Foi people who live on the edge of the central highlands of Papua New Guinea, the flow of pearl shells is the "heart" of their social life. The pearl shell is the exchange item that mediates the creation of their most important sexual and social roles."Publisher description

Background to discovery : Pacific exploration from Dampier to Cook

Howse, Derek, ed.

 Berkeley : University of California Press, 1990

"Background to Discovery recounts the great voyages of discovery, from Dampier to Cook, that excited such fervent political and popular interest in eighteenth-century Europe. Perhaps this book's greatest strength lies in its remarkable synthesis of both the achievements of European maritime exploration and the political, economic, and scientific motives behind it."Publisher's description

The native tribes of Central Australia

Spencer, Baldwin and Gillen, F. J.

London : MacMillan,  1899

This anthropological study of the central Australian tribes is one of the primary sources for information on these cultures. Based on first-hand scholarly study just prior to the twentieth century, Spencer and Gillen describe their complex rituals and belief systems, including initiation ceremonies, kinship, mythology and material culture.