On Hierarchy and Stratification in Polynesia

In this article I will discuss the shifting roles of traditional hierarchy and its relationship to modern state structure in Fiji, Western Samoa and the Kingdom of Tonga. The interesting interplay of different levels of social integration has unfolded in conflicting ways in actual social practice. The combination of individualistic ideologies and democracy with traditional chiefly authority in these Pacific societies illuminates the complex ways in which authority and hierarchy are structurally linked, ways which in turn provide insights into the modes whereby hierarchy operates in present day social and political contexts.   Keywords: chieftaincy, democracy, Fiji, hierarchy, politics, Tonga, Western Samoa &nbsp

Differential Geometry, the Informational Surface and Oceanic Art: The Role of Pattern in Knowledge Economies

Graphic pattern (e.g. geometric design) and number-based code (e.g. digital sequencing) can store and transmit complex information more efficiently than referential modes of representation. The analysis of the two genres and their relation to one another has not advanced significantly beyond a general classification based on motion-centred geometries of symmetry. This article examines an intriguing example of patchwork coverlets from the maritime societies of Oceania, where information referencing a complex genealogical system is lodged in geometric designs. By drawing attention to the interplay of graphic pattern and number-based code and its role in the knowledge economies of maritime societies, the article offers new insight into possible ways of designing a digital informational surface that captures the behaviour of an operational system, allowing both for differentiation and integration

The Cargo Proper in Cargo Cults

No abstract availabl