Indigenous Peoples of the World - The Pacific Islands - Hardcover

Anne Sharp

9781590180945: Indigenous Peoples of the World - The Pacific Islands

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1590180941 ISBN 13: 9781590180945

Publisher: Lucent Books, 2002

The Melanesians, Polynesians and Micronesians are the indigenous people of the Pacific. Migrating from Southeast Asia in one of the greatest navigational feats of history, the people of the Pacific developed a rich cultural and spiritual life that, despite oppression from Western colonial powers, persists today.

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From Booklist:

Reviewed with Anne Wallace Sharp's The Gypsies.

Gr. 8-12. These two titles in the Indigenous Peoples of the World series contribute broad introductions to their subjects. Gypsies (Sharp states that "Roma" is the preferred term) begins with theories of the group's migration from India, followed by explanations of the Romaniya-- the intricate code of beliefs, behavior, and traditions. Later chapters address the Roma's history of persecution, including during the Holocaust, when more than half of the world's Roma population died. Final chapters talk about the struggles, (such as the high instance of European hate crimes committed against the people) and successes of contemporary life. Pacific Islands focuses on some of the larger, more-documented islands in chapters about social customs, history, and colonization. The frank coverage includes information about the suffering caused by twentieth-century atomic testing, as well as other contemporary issues. Some sensationalized material, such as a sidebar about Tahitian promiscuity, isn't documented, and the poor-quality black-and-white photos aren't dated (Are they contemporary or old?). These frustrations aside, both titles convey a real awareness of the history, the current challenges, and the complex issues that surround ancient cultures in a modern age. Gillian Engberg
Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review:

"...conveys an awareness of the history, the current challenges, and the complex issues that surround ancient cultures in a modern age."
-- Booklist (May 2003) (Booklist 20030501)

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