An Introduction to Literature of the Pacific

I have always been interested in Pacific history and literature, so I felt compelled to write an introduction to this wonderful topic. Many of these titles can be found at your local library, and I encourage you to use it. Each of these books will teach you about the rich and diverse history of Pacific island cultures.

1. Fragile Paradise-Glynn Christian

This book goes into depth about the background leading up to and after the mutiny. Glynn even visited Pitcairn Island in researching this book. Glynn Christian is a descendant of Fletcher Christian and the only descendant to write a biography about his ancestor. You don't know who Fletcher Christian is? He is sort of like George Washington for descendants of the Bounty mutineers. Glynn points out that Christian was not perfect, but he also holds Bligh's temper responsible for the mutiny that happened upon the HMAV Bounty. This is a must read for anyone interested in Tahitian, naval, Pacific, or Pitcairn history. To this day I find it truly amazing that Fletcher Christian and the mutineers were able to hide out on the isolated Pitcairn island for eighteen years. However, even today it is hard to reach Pitcairn island and you cannot get there by air plane, which means you must take a small yacht or be lucky enough to have a commercial ship drop you off. The waters surrounded Pitcairn are very wild and dangerous, so it is quite a feat that the mutineers had in landing and destroying the evidence of their ship. Bounty Day is the independence day of Pitcairn Island and it is still celebrated today by the symbolic burning of a small ship, which is what the mutineers do to the HMAV Bounty so no passers-by could see Europeans were on the island. It was only by a fluke mistake that in the year 1808 the American whaler Captain Folger just happened to sale by an island that was not charted in the correct place, which is the reason the mutineers had chosen Pitcairn in the first place.

2. Unity of Heart-Keith Chambers and Anne Chambers.

Both are anthropologists and lived on the isolated island of Nanumea, in Tuvalu. At first it was hard to get anyone to speak to them because they were outsiders, but over time they won over the community by respecting the local customs and cultures. This is a wonderful ethnographic piece of work that gives us a glimpse into one of the few Polynesian cultures that has remained isolated from the outside world. There are outside influences, but the people of Nanumea strive to hold onto as much as their traditional cultures as possible.

3. Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before-Tony Horwitz.

This man is a journalist, but if is known to being sympathetic and understanding towards other peoples cultures. Horwitz will speak to anyone and everyone, and this man is never biased or rude. When he wanted to learn more about New Zealand gang members, he went and spoke with a few and found out many were just mixed raced men who did not feel they fit in with mainstream society. Next you can see Horowitz speaking with official leaders or kids smoking pot in Tahiti, which illustrates how this man will talk to anyone! One fascinating think about Horwitz is he is Jewish, but he wrote the book Baghdad Without A Map and actually spoke to Muslims in hostile situations, such as attending the funeral of the Aytalollah Komeini. In one breath people were telling them hated America, but in the next they were asking him if he had ever been to Disneyland and how it was their dream to go there. Horwitz's journalistic skills allow us to peak into the modern day locales of the places Cook visited, and thus we become voyagers as the great explorer once was.

Horwitz visits many different Pacific Islands in his travels and provides the novice with a good introduction to the history of exploration in this area. Horwitz even covers traditional cultures of the Pacific in his book, so there is a little bit of everything in here. If you want to learn more about Captain Cook and his adventures I suggest you read this book.

4. Breadfruit, Frangipani, Tiare in Bloom-Celestine Vaite

This is a trilogy of novels, but fiction is vital to the understanding of any culture or civilization. We can read all the textbooks we desire, but if we never read a novel about day to day activities of a culture, we are missing out on an important piece of the pie. Vaite is French Polynesian by birth and her novels discuss daily life in Tahiti. Reading good books helps us to learn more around the world around us and to make better decisions. I encourage everyone to read and write about the topics they feel passionate about.

3. Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captian Cook Has Gone Before-Tony Horwitz.

This man is a journalist, but if is known to being sympathetic and understanding towards other peoples cultures. Horwitz will speak to anyone and everyone, and this man is never biased or rude. He visits many different Pacific Islands in his travels and provides the novice with a good introduction to the history of exploration in this area. Horwitz even covers traditional cultures of the Pacific in his book, so there is a little bit of everything in here. The end of the book is especially touching and surprising. This is a very long book, but the good news is you can read one chapter here and there and still appreciate the spirit of what Horwitz has to say. Keep in mind Horwitz is an extradionary man and journalist because even though he is Jewish, he was able to attend the funeral of the Atallah Khomeini and people in Iran actually talked to him freely. Horwitz is one of those people who wins the trusts of everyone he interviews and reports objectively, even in scary places like Iran.

4. Breadfruit, Frangipani, Tiare in Bloom-Celestine Vaite

This is a trilogy of novels, but fiction is vital to the understand of any culture or civilization. We can read all the textbooks we desire, but if we never read a novel about day to day activities of a culture we are missing out on an important piece of the pie. Vaite is French Polynesia by birth and her novels discuss what day-to day life is like in Tahiti. Reading good books helps us to learn more around the world around us and to make better decisions. I encourage everyone to read and write about the topics they feel passionate about.