Book contents
- The Cambridge History of the Pacific Ocean
- The Cambridge History of the Pacific Ocean
- The Cambridge History of the Pacific Ocean
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors to Volume I
- Frontispiece
- General Editor’s Introduction
- Preface to Volume I
- Part I Rethinking the Pacific
- Part II Humans and the Natural World in the Pacific Ocean
- Part III Deep Time: Sources for the Ancient History of the Pacific
- 10 Biological Anthropology and Genetics in Pacific History
- 11 The Word as Artefact
- 12 Oral Traditions in Pacific History
- 13 The Evolution of Pacific Island Societies
- 14 Ancient Voyaging Capacity in the Pacific
- 15 Revitalizing ‘Traditional’ Navigation Systems in the Contemporary Pacific
- Part IV The Initial Colonization of the Pacific
- Part V The Evolution of Pacific Communities
- Part VI Europe’s Maritime Expansion into the Pacific
- References to Volume I
- Index
12 - Oral Traditions in Pacific History
from Part III - Deep Time: Sources for the Ancient History of the Pacific
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2022
- The Cambridge History of the Pacific Ocean
- The Cambridge History of the Pacific Ocean
- The Cambridge History of the Pacific Ocean
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors to Volume I
- Frontispiece
- General Editor’s Introduction
- Preface to Volume I
- Part I Rethinking the Pacific
- Part II Humans and the Natural World in the Pacific Ocean
- Part III Deep Time: Sources for the Ancient History of the Pacific
- 10 Biological Anthropology and Genetics in Pacific History
- 11 The Word as Artefact
- 12 Oral Traditions in Pacific History
- 13 The Evolution of Pacific Island Societies
- 14 Ancient Voyaging Capacity in the Pacific
- 15 Revitalizing ‘Traditional’ Navigation Systems in the Contemporary Pacific
- Part IV The Initial Colonization of the Pacific
- Part V The Evolution of Pacific Communities
- Part VI Europe’s Maritime Expansion into the Pacific
- References to Volume I
- Index
Summary
Despite its relatively late development, Pacific Island history has nevertheless produced a large body of published studies, and developed a distinct character. Most of its studies have been on intercultural relations between Pacific Islanders and Europeans over the last two and a half centuries.2 Pacific historians have largely focused on the impact of Western products, peoples, and ideas on Pacific Islanders, with much emphasis placed on presenting Pacific Islanders as rational, active agents in this process. The majority of Pacific Islanders’ millennia of history was recorded and conveyed orally, which has meant that much Pacific history has become multidisciplinary to incorporate non-literate sources such as oral traditions, linguistic patterns, and material remains.
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- The Cambridge History of the Pacific Ocean , pp. 276 - 295Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023