Review by Choice Review
The island of Manus, now a province of Papua New Guinea, was made famous by the anthropological writings of Margaret Mead half a century ago. Ponam Island, a sliver of land surrounded by a coral reef, lies directly offshore to the north of Manus. The authors start their study with a very valuable overview of social structural analyses in New Guinea and the muddle caused by the inappropriate use of models. Basic to kinship studies is the use of genealogical reckoning and the recognition of kinship groups which must be seen in historical including the colonial history context. Marriage and ceremonial exchanges serve to link families and groups as such prestations follow specific lines, e.g., between cross-cousins and patrilineal groups. However, the structure of the exchanges must be separated from the human thoughts, values, decisions, and actions that underlie these exchanges; the last three chapters deal with these. They also look at the subsequent distribution and redistribution of what has been presented. But people do not always behave the way the model dictates, and the authors point to nonconformity and conflict. Important for Melanesian and social anthropological library collections, at upper-division undergraduate level and above.-B. M. du Toit, University of Florida
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
