Inside

• ALBERT WENDT ON MEACkFREEMAN Samoan poet and novelist Albert Wendt writes a warm but incisive review of Professor Derek Freeman’s book, Margaret Mead and Somoa The Making and Unmaking of an Anthropological Myth 10 • TALES OF GREAT PACIFIC ROWERS Marie-Therese and Bengt Danielsson write on the exploits of the “ordinary British eccentric” Peter Bird who is at present rowing from California to Australia, and use the occasion to recall an even more remarkable Pacific rower of the past, the Swedish-born New Zealand citizen, Anders Svedlund 27 • NASA JOINS SATELLITE RACE The National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the USA has joined the race to become the main provider of satellite services to the Pacific Islands. Australian freelance journalist Liz Fell has the story 59 • THE PALAU TANGLE Floyd K. Takeuchi takes a sober look at the tangled scene that has emerged in Palau following the February plebiscite there... 23 • SUB-SEABED DUMPING OF RADIO-ACTIVE WASTE New Zealand scientist Dr G. P. Glasby examines research now under way in several countries on the techniques of dumping high-level radio-active waste under the seabed. The Pacific is the favored dumping ground, and Dr Glasby believes that “a Pacific voice” should be heard on the issue 15 • THE WHONSBON-ASTON PAPERS It’s a fond farewell to the Papua of the 1930 s in this month’s extract from the memoirs of the late Charles William Whonsbon-Aston, Anglican Archdeacon Emeritus of Polynesia 51 Cover picture: A friendly smile, a colorful head scarf and a decorative band of green leaves contribute to the charm of this month's cover picture which comes from New Caledonia.

Books 4i Communications 59 Deaths 73 Fiji 54 French Polynesia 27 Hawaii 22 Islands Press 49 Letters 7 Maori history 45 Micronesia 23, 31 Notes from the North 23 New Caledonia 21 Nuclear dumping 15 Pacific Report 5

Palau 23 Papua New Guinea 17, 43, 47, 51 People 35 Political Currents 15 Postmark Papeete 27 Samoa 10 Solomon Islands 43 The Month 19 Tradewinds 59 Tropicalities 31 Vanuatu 19, 41 Shipping timetables 71 Yachts 63 Yesterday 51