Pacific Islands past

Press, 13 July 1985, Page 20

Pacific Islands past

South Sea Yarns. By Basil Thomson. First published 1894. Reprinted R. McMillan Publisher, 1984. 32S pp. $4B. Cyclopedia of Fiji. First published 1907. Reprinted R. McMillan Publisher, 1984. 332 pp. $75.

(Reviewed by

John Wilson)

The word “yarns” m the title of “South Sea Yarns” gives a good clue to the nature of the book. It is a collection of anecdotes and tales, largely of his own experiences, written down by a British colonial officer in nineteenth-century Fiji. With the ambivalence that characterises the writings of colonial administrators in many parts of the imperial world, the “yarns” are introduced and told in a somewhat patronising way, depicting the Fijians as a picturesquely quaint people of curious customs. At the same time the yarns spring from a genuine interest in and sometimes even respect for Fijian culture. He writes, for example, that living on terms of friendship with cannibals had taught him the practice “is not incompatible with an intelligence and moral qualities which command respect.” The “yarns” often read well, but cannot be said to have literary merit. Their value lies in what they reveal about life in Fiji in the early years of colonial rule. Their reprinting will serve students of history and those who like a good tale, entertainingly told, but not students of literature, this is probably no more than the author intended.

The Fiji of the 1907 “Cyclopedia of Fiji” is very different from that of “South Sea Yarns.” Fiji by the early years of this century, was firmly in the

grip of British Empire and the “Cyclopedia” provides a portrait of the Fijian islands in the heyday of colonial rule and exploitation. There were fewer than 3000 Europeans in Fiji at the time the “Cyclopedia” was compiled, between 20,000 and 30,000 Indians, and still a majority of Fijians, though they were diminishing in numbers. Nevertheless, in the personal entries which make up almost half the book (presumably paid for, as entries were in the similar cyclopedias for various New Zealand provinces published at about the same time), the Europeans far, far outnumber “the rest.” In the first half of the book there is an extended description of the life and customs of the “aboriginal” Fijians and a longer account of the history of European discovery and settlement of the islands, including the importation of labour from India to produce the sugar, cotton, tea, timber, and copra which gave Fiji its role in the imperial economy. The passage of time has rendered some of the information in the book inaccurate, just as it has highlighted the colonial character of Fijian society and the Fijian economy when this century opened. The book now serves, as a reprint, a very different purpose from the one which led to its first compilation. Both these titles are additions to the list of out-of-print books about the Pacific which a small Auckland [jublisher is manfully reprinting, for a imited market (which explains their expense). The service is a valuable one to students of the Pacific. The publisher’s address is, 40 President Avenue, Papakura.