WOMEN OF POLYNESIA

Te Ao Hou, December 1967, Page 62

WOMEN OF POLYNESIA text by T. Barrow, Ph.D. photography by H. Sieben Seven Seas Publishing Ptv. Ltd., $10.50 reviewed by N. P. K. Puriri Women of Polynesia—its very name conjures up in the mind sun-drenched beaches, waving palm trees, topless mini-grass-skirted maidens, or should I say, women. The inviting eyes on the dust cover of this book are obviously designed to titillate an unwholesome appetite. However, the promise is unfulfilled, the appetite unsatisfied, the thirst unslaked. This type of book, obviously aimed at the beast in man, does not help the mana of T. Barrow, Ph.D. I would have thought he, an

expert, would have kept the illustrator in hand. I refer to the Maori nudes, or should I say ‘pin-ups’. I do not object to ‘topless’ versions, but when my women are exposed in such a way as in this book, their shame is my shame. Such exposure, deliberate or accidental, has given rise to vendettas, feuds, suicides and deaths. It can be one of the strongest forms of insult. The photographic studies and the text oppose each other—the text on page 62 stating that the Maori was the most modest of Polynesians, and the Maori nudes indicating the opposite. I must admit, however, that many of the studies are beautiful, underlining the inherent dignity of Polynesian women in general, and it is unfortunate that by undressing only the Maori and Marquesan women, Sieben has given a wrong impression. As I have already mentioned, it is aimed at the beast in man, and purports to deal with sexual behaviour in traditional Polynesia. It falls flat. I learnt nothing. Consumer Institute could well use it as an example of deceptive packaging. The author has covered a wide field but in some areas it is apparent that he has had to meet a dead-line, and has departed from his usual scholarly approach. The publication is notable for its lack of an index.