Palau is the furthest western island group of the Pacific Islands. The Philippines are to its west about 500 nautical miles away. To the south is the western end of New Guinea. Although these island peoples all have their roots in Southeast Asia, they have lost ties to their ancient homeland. Each has their own set of customs and beliefs and cannot be lumped together. In this cultural geography, youll learn all you ever wanted to know about the Palau Islands, beginning with their discovery in the fifteenth century, to their American takeover in the 1950s, and life there today. The author covers the history, economy, education, government, language, health, religion, and overall environment of the islands. Youll also learn about Palaus complex aboriginal culture and how for thousands of years, it has had a well-established matrilineal society. Village organization ideally consists of ten totemic clans graphically oriented in a system. Explore the majestic beauty and rich history of the Palau Islands with this detailed cultural geography that will make you feel as though youre there in person.

Retells sixty-eight traditional legends of the islands, including creation myths and tales of duhendes, dancing trickster elves of the jungle.

This is an incisive and provocative study of the figures and tropes of 'savagery' in Japanese colonial culture. The author demonstrates how imperial Japan constructed its own identity in relation both to the West and to the people it colonized.

Summoning the Powers Beyond collects and reconstructs the old religions of preindustrial Micronesia. It draws mostly from written sources from the turn of the nineteenth century and the period immediately after World War II: reports of the Hamburg South Sea Expedition of 1908–1910, articles by German Roman Catholic missionaries in Micronesia included in the journal Anthropos, and reports by the Coordinated Investigation of Micronesian Anthropology (CIMA) and the American Board of Commissioners of the Foreign Missions (ABCFM). A detailed introduction and an overview of Micronesian religion are followed by separate chapters detailing religion in the Chuukic-speaking islands, Pohnpei, Kosrae, the Marshall Islands, Yap, Palau, Kiribati, and Nauru. The Chamorro-speaking group of the Marianas is omitted because lengthy periods of intense military and missionary activity eradicated most of the local religion. The Polynesian outliers Nukuoro and Kapingamarangi are discussed at the end primarily to underscore the contrasts between Polynesian and Micronesian religion. In a concluding chapter, the author highlights the similarities and differences between the areas within Micronesia and then attempts an appreciation or evaluation of Micronesia religion. Finally, he addresses the evidence of a tentative hypothesis that Micronesian religion is sufficiently different from that of Polynesia and Melanesia to justify the continued claim of a separate Micronesian religion.

Collects forty-three historical or traditional stories from the Pacific Islands, including creation myths and stories of gods, heroes, and ordinary people. --amazon.com.