Polynesia

Law and Order in Polynesia Dr. H. Ian Hogbin’s Recent Book

ONTONG JAVA, a coral atoll lying to the north-east of the Solomon Islands, in the Western Pacific, was selected a few years ago by Dr. H. Ian Hogbin, a brilliant graduate of the Uni versity of Sydney, for anthropological investigation. The majority of news papers have the haziest notion of where Ontong Java is situated, and almost in variably place a comma between Ontong and Java, suggesting thereby that the atoll is in some way connected with the Dutch East Indies.

Curiously enough, it is called Lord Howe’s Group in naval charts. There are at least three other Lord Howe Islands in the Pacific. Even more curious, no accurate map of Ontong Java has ever been published. In the early 90’s this territory was German. But in 1900 it was handed over, with the islands of Choiseul and Ysabel, in exchange for British rights in Samoa. Since then it has been under the jurisdiction of the Resident Commissioner of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. In 1907 the population was estimated to exceed 5,000. By 1928 it had diminished to less than 700. Dr. Hogbin in his recently pub lished “Law and Order in Polynesia,” one of the most important books of late relat ing to the Pacific, declares that in a few years there will be no natives left at all on Ontong Java.

A lengthy introduction has been writ ten by Professor Malinowski, to whom, the author says, it would be hard to exaggerate the stimulus which he gave him. The book is dedicated to Professor A. R. Radcliffe-Brown, now of Chicago, but formerly occupant of the Chair of Anthropology at Sydney University. The field work for the book was made pos sible by a grant from the Australian Na tional Research Council and a Science Research Fellowship from the University of Sydney. A travelling fellowship later enabled Dr. Hogbin to spend two years in London, where he worked on his book.

In its original form it was a thesis for the degree of Ph.D. in London University.

Dr. Hogbin has given a thoughtful re sume of the characteristics of the two tribes of Ontong Java, their economic activities, kinship groupings, and tribal ceremonies. Not the least interesting is a vividly written description of the an nual sanga festival. Considerable space is devoted to the native belief in spirits, and in that connection the Ontong Java term for these people who, from beyond the grave, still exercise a powerful and

often malign influence upon the living, opens an interesting line of thought. The spirits are caJed kipua. Obviously, this is an older form of the Maori “kehua,” a. term that is used to-day to denote a ghost.

Not so long ago Sir Apirana Ngata, a profound scholar in lore relating to the Polynesian peoples, remarked that it was time that investigators turned their eyes towards the Western Pacific. “I am con vinced that we have much to learn there,” he commented. It was his hope, he added, that Professor Peter Buck, of the Bishop Museum, Honolulu, and a leading authority on Eastern Polynesia, would eventually find time to carry out field work in the Western Pacific. “Who knows but what we may discover the origin of the Maori house, the highest form of architectual development in Polynesia,” said Sir Apirana.

Apart from the introduction, which is somewhat lengthy, and might well have been amplified in a slim volume of its own, there is much to interest the aver age reader in “Law and Order in Poly nesia.” Dr. Hogbin has an attractively easy style, knows how to make the most of an incident, and found in the simple life of his island friends, not only colour ful interest, but often the elements of drama. Every student of Pacific affairs should possess this book. —E.R. (“Law and Order in Polynesia, a Study of Primitive Legal Institutions,” by H. Ian Hogbin, M.A. (Syd.), Ph. D. (Lond.). Published by Christophers, London).