"... The aim of the publication has been to present various facets of Rotuma's culture and the changes faced by the Rotuman people today. With three exceptions, the authors are all Rotuman, telling their own tales of Rotuma's uniqueness in depth for the first time. They relate aspects of Rotuma's geography and history as well as the influence of the missions and colonial attempts to govern land tenure. The marriage and mamasa ceremonies are described in detail, and the different dance forms and certain chants. A major section focuses on the network of kinship links which forms the basis of Rotuma's social and political system. Almost all of the authors are concerned indirectly with the process of change affecting Rotuman society, and three chapters describe the physical manifestation of this: the emigration of Rotumans to Fiji, the need for childen to leave the island for higher education, and the communities established away from home ..." -- Foreword p. ix.

"This book is a collection of hanuju, fäeag tupu'a and rogrogo (myths, legends and stories) as well as some fakpeje (ceremonial speeches) and sua (songs) gathered in 1964 in Rotuma. Many of the tales refer to specific places in Rotuma and its offshore islets (called "dependencies" in the Rotuma Deed of Cession of 1881). The islet of Hatana is central to the origin myths of Rotuma. Seksek 'e Hatan is more than a record of traditions and memoirs because it includes "excerpts from an archaeologist's field notebook." This approach sets the traditions of Rotuma in an archaeological and geographical landscape, and in a context of ceremonial and traditional activities, signs and omens."--Publisher's description.

“An imaginative and thought-provoking study of clowning in Rotuma, especially of ritual clowning in contexts of marriage ceremonies and the weaving of fine mats.... Completely fascinating.” —Canberra Anthropology “A challenge to readers both in its form and content.... This book conveys the lively, complex and often hilarious elements, both of daily life and celebratory rituals, as they are expressed in contemporary culture.” —Journal of Intercultural Studies

Provides a detailed analysis of the traditional social organisation and land tenure systems on Rotuma and how these have been affected by external influences and the transition from traditional to colonial to post-colonial government.

Ordinary houses have extraordinary stories to tell. For more than a century, anthropologists have been recording these sagas in an attempt to uncover humanity's relationship with the common dwelling. Fundamental to the interaction of humans and housing is the way people shape their living spaces, even redefining their purposes and meanings; their houses, in turn, influence how people live their lives and perpetuate the cultural structures that produced a given form of shelter. The stories draw attention to colonial and missionary agendas, local and global economies, environmental disasters, cultural identities, social connections, and family continuity, as well as personal choices. And, as the chapter on homeless Hawaiians shows, even those without houses have stories to tell. Anthropologists, architects, environmental designers, geographers, and historians will welcome this diverse volume on a neglected yet important aspect of change in the lives of Pacific Islanders.