Oceania

The peoples of Oceania have fascinated travelers, anthropologists, historians, and artists since the 16th century, when adventurers from the West first arrived in the South Seas. The different cultures of this region seem in many ways to be in complete contrast to our own. The peoples of Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand use grasses, bark, shells, and stones to make clothing and jewelry, and they adorn their bodies through the painful process of tattooing. In Malaysia and Indonesia, ancient tribal costume coexists with decorative arts, such as batik and ikat, forming a rich cultural identity that reflects their multiethnic makeup. Different as they may seem, however, these cultures reveal a deep, passionate, and sometimes violent human spirit that we well recognize. Oceania explores the myth and reality of life in this region through one major aspect of the various cultures -- their costume, including: The spirit masks of Papua New Guinea and headhunters in the Solomon Islands. Dukduk and tubuan initiation ceremonies of the Tolai people and Aboriginal corroborrees in Australia. Techniques of batik printing and ikat dyeing and bark-cloth production in Polynesia. Book jacket.