Just when you thought it was afe to go to the bookstoreagain, it had to happen. It was inevitable that someone wouldwrite the world's worst ofT-the-wall book about Easter Island.Having suffered through orne of tho e old turkeys such asWerner WolIrs Island of Death (statues In the quarry wereblown onto their ahu b volcanic activit) and the super­di.ffusionist ,..Jmerican Indians in Ihe Pacific by He. erdahl. Ithought we had reached the nadir. Not so. R.A. Jairazbhoy hassurpassed them all. The Ishlar of the book world.

It eems that. according to Jairazbhoy evef:vlhing can betraced back to Egypt. Some PolynesianJRapa Nui features aretracked from Egypt to Mexico to South America and Ihen toRapa Nul. Along with many alid but misinterpretedreferences. Jairazbhoy relie heavily on his own previouswritings as proof of his theories. (For example, alld to give afeel for his mind-set. one of his earlier books is tiUed AncientEgvplians anel Chinese 111 America).

Even the Easter Island birdman contest can be traced backto Egypt: "If one were to propose antecedents to the practice,the Olought of Ole Egg of the Egyptian sungod would have tocome to mind" (Actuall . this possibility not once crossed MYmind).

The Conclusion starts off with: "If one looks simply at theeUmographic art of Ule Pacific Islanders. .. one would neversuspect that there are links in these cultures with the highcivilizations of the Continents" (No Kidding!) And. 'This isUle only way of accounting for Ole remarkable parallels inbelief with the higher civilisation ..."

L for one. am tired of racist theorie and attitudes whichdelllgrate the capabilities and creati ity of the Polynesianpeoples. Aside from a good laugh, I can't think of an reasonto recommend thi book. 0

ReferencesHeyerdahl. T. 19 2. rlmericanlndians in the Pacific. LondonWolff. W. 1973.lslandofDemh. Hacker Art Books..Y.

PUBLICATIO S

• Bulletin de la Societe des Etudes Oceaniennes. 1995. o.265-266. Tome XXIII No. 3-4 for March-June. Tahiti.

• Cenlre for S'outh Pacific Studie :\'ewleller. 1995. Vols 9, 2and 3. University of New South Wales.

• Coulson, Alan S. 1995. Easter Island in the First WorldWar. Relevance: The Quarler~v Journal of the Great IVaI'Societv, Vol.'+(2). P.O. Box '+585. Stanford. CA 94309. Pg.5-7.

• Diamond. Jared. 1995. Easter" End. Discover. Vol. 18 (8)for Auf,'Ust. pp. 63-9.

• Federova. Irina. 1995. Kohau Rongorongo from MAE

(Kunstkammer). In Russian.The English summary states: The enigmatic rongorongo-­

unique script in Polynesia was invented by Easter Islandersbefore the first contacts b Europeans. This publicationpresents the results of deciphering, reading and translation ofhieroglyphic texts on two kohau rongorongo tablets from OleMuseum of Anthropology and Ethnology (MAE­Kunstkammer) in St. Petersberg. The study shows it to be ahieroglyphic script that reproduced the living speech ande ery sign is equal to Ole morphem or the syllable. There is aconsiderable number of plants' names. some toponyms(name of bays). tilles of chiefs. etc. The book contains acatalog of sigllS with their meaning and translation.

• Ligabue. Giancarlo and Giuseppe Orefici, eds. 1994. Rapalui: gli ullimi argonauti. Erizzo Editrice, PiazzaIe Roma 499,30135 Venezia. Italy. [SBN 88-7077-032-X. Hard cover,glossy paper. oversize (8Y2 x II Y2). 362 pages. plusbibliography. 153 color plates including some great two-pagespreads. numerous black and white photos, line drawings, andmaps. In Italian. Price not stated.

This quality-produced volume contains papers by Davideand Viviano Domenici (I naufraghi del Pacifico), GuiseppeOrefici (II popolamento della Polinesia e Rapa Nui; L'originedei Rapa Nui tra storia e leggenda: and Risorse economiche eattivita espressive), Gianpaolo Monti Martinengo (Geologiadell'Isola di Pasqua): Luigi Piacenza (La vegetazionedell isola e Ie sue modifiche nel tempo). Andrea Drusini(Aspetti antropologici dei Rapa Nui), Giuliano Romano(Astronomia nell'Isola di Pasqua), Giancarlo Ligabue (IIsentiero dell'alba). Jose Miguel Ramirez (Migrazionipolinesiane), Andrzej Jacek Tomaszewski (L'industria litica),Antonio Paolillo (Applicazioni tecnologiche: Agricoltura eterritorio). Georgia Lee (L arte rupestre). and Patricia VargasCasanova (Modelli insediativi).

• L 'Echo de Rapa Nui. 1995. NO.3 I, Juillet. Brain L AIleud,Belgique.

• Orefici Giuseppe. ed. 1995. La Terra dei Moai: dallapotine ia all 'isola di Pasqua. Erizzo Editrice, Santa Croce499. 30135 Venezia, Italy. Exhibition Catalog. Palazzo Reale.Milano (7 marzo-28 maggio 1995). ISBN 88-7077-034-6.Soft cover, oversize (81J. x II Y2), glossy paper, 282 pages plusbibliography. 86 color plates including some great two-pagespreads. black and white photos, line drawings and maps. InItalian. Lira. 80,000.

This catalog was produced to accompan an exhibition ofEaster Island artifacts, along with some other Pacific artifacts,shown this year in Milan. Italy. The exhibition was scheduledto end in Ma but as attendance far exceeded expectations, itwas continued until mid-September. The exhibited pieces areillustrated and described (pp. 178-282); these were gatheredfrom arious sources in Chile and Italy, including severalpieces from the Sebastian Englert Museum on Easter Island.

The main text of the book contains various papers about Oleisland: Giuseppe Orefici (L Isola di Pasqua e la Polinesia. and

Rapa ui Journal 95 Vol 9 (3) September 1995

II Progetto Rapa Nui); Maurizio Biordi (II 'Primitivismo' eI'arte oceaniana: I'lsola di Pasqua e la Polinesia); WilhelmSolheim II (Le vie marittime dall Asia sud-orientale all'lsoladi Pasqua); Marco Biscione (La navigazione nel Pacifico);Giancarlo Ligabue (Nocchieri del Pacifico); John Flenley(Vegetazione e civiltil sull'lsola di Pasqua); Luigi Piacenza(La produzione delle fibre vegetali nell'lsola di Pasqua):Andrea Drusini (Antropologia dell'lsola di Pasqua); AndrzejTomaszewski (L'industria litica dell'lsola di Pasqua);Giuliano Romano (L 'astronomia nell'antica Rapa Nui);Georgia Lee (L'arte di Rapa Nui); Catherine and MichelOrliac (La scultura lignea dell'Isola di Pasqua); WilliamAyres (Architettura e figure in pietra dell'lsola di Pasqua):and Paul Balm (C'erano cannibali suJl'lsola di Pasqua?).

• Pacific News Bulletin. 1995. Vol. 10 (6) for JWle. PacificConcerns Resource Centre, PO Box 803, Glebe NSW 2037,Australia.

• Ramirez, Jose Miguel. 1993. Rapanui, Artesania: Para losdioses. Chile Artesania Tradicional. Pp. 40-59. EdicionesUniversidad Catolica de Chile, Casilla 114D. Santiago deChile. Hard cover, color photographs. In Spanish.

• Revista Espanola del Pacifico, No. 4/Aiio IV for Enero­Diciembre 1994. Asociaci6n Espanola de Estudios delPacifico, Madrid, Spain. This issue contains a paper byFrancisco Melh~n (Hallazgo en el Museo de America deuna azuela de piedra, recogida en Tahiti por marinoseuropeos a finales del siglo XVIIl), plus other papers, some ofwhich concern the voyages of Mendana and Quir6s.

• Rjabchikov, Sergei V. 1995. The My teries ofEaster Island(In Russian: Tayny ostrova Paskhi). Vol. 4. K ran 0 d 0 r :ECOINVEST. Contents of the olume: The Rapanui Script(An Experience of the Integrated Society): AstronomicalStudies of the Easter Islanders: Legends, Traditions andFairy-Tales of Easter Island; Inscription in a London Rei­miro; on the Term "Hanau Momoko".

• Rjabchikov, Sergei V. 1995. The Eel and the Palm(According to the data of the Rock art and the Writing ofEaster Island). Le Bulletin du Cercle d'Etudes sur I'lle dePaques et la Polynesie, Nr.3:2.

• Rongorongo tudies, Vol. 5(1) for 1995. Edited by Ste enRoger Fischer. This issue contains: "Prehistoric Exchangebetween Fiji and Western Polynesia: Some evidence fromLinguistics", by Paul Geraghty; "Tahitian Phonology:Missionary Perceptions, 1801-1802". by J.H. Ward: and"Asking questions in Rapanui . by Veronica Du Feu.

• Schuhmacher, W. Wilfried. 199-l. Two "iron" words:Germanic vs Polynesian. Cahiers de I'Institut de Linguistiquede Louvain. Cill 20, 3-4: 147-9.

• Schuhmacher. W. WilfTied. 1993. Place Names of Sala y

Rapa Nui Journal 96

Gomez Island. Beitrt'ige zur Namenforschung, Neue Folge.Band 28, Heft I: 10.

• Stephenson, Rebecca. ed. 1995. Traditional TechnologicalStructures and ultures of the Pacific: Five Papers.Micronesian Area Research Center, University of Guam.

This publication contains five papers that were presented atthe Symposium. 'Technology and Cultural Change in thePacific", XVII Pacific Science Congress. The papers are: "OnTechnology and Culture Change", by Rebecca A.Stephenson;"Palauan boi: Traditional Versus Present Day Functions", byFaustina K. Rehuller: "Are Kariei: The Cook Islands' Houseof Entertainment", b Jon Jonassen; "Melanesia: Culture.Technology and Tradition: Before and After WesternImpacts". by Robert Tonkinson; and "Times Change and Sodo Traditional Cultures". by Leonard Mason.

• Tok Blong Pasifik. 1995. A Quarterly of News and Viewson the Pacific Islands. No. 49. Spring. SPPf, 415-620 ViewSt., Victoria BC, Canada. This issue features Canada and thePacific.

EUROPEAN SOClETY FOR OCEANISTS

The "European Society for Oceanists (ESO) is a newprofessional organization which addresses itself toresearchers with a regional intere t in Oceania. "Oceania" isdefined as comprising the classic geographic areas ofAustralia. Melanesia, Micronesia. and Polynesia.

I n the context of an increasingly integrated Europe(politically. economically and scientifically) the Society aimto enhance intellectual exchange and cooperation betweenindividual researchers and between scholarly institution.both within and outside Europe. This goal is to be achieved bymaintaining an information network. by organizingconferences and b. other appropriate means.

The society shall also endeavor to represent the interests ofPacific people to the general public and institutions. TheESO is an interdisciplinary organization; membership is opento anthropologists, linguists, histonans. geographer.psychologists and other researcher. ESO Main Contact:Bente Wolff, Institute of Anthropology. University ofCopenhagen. Frederiksholms Kanal -l. DK- I 220 CopenhagenK. Denmark. FAX:+-l5-35-32 346-: Phone:H5-33­-l73233/+-l5-35-323-l6-l:e-mail:e -bwla.palai .natmus. min.dk

THE INSTITUTE OF POLYNESIAN LANGUAGESAND LITERATURES

(P.O. Box 6965, Welle ley Street. Auckland. l\'ew Zealand)

The Board of Trustees of The Institute of Polyne ianLanguages and Literatures are proud to announce thesuccessful incorporation of the Institute under the ewZealand Charitable Trusts Act 1957 a a non-profitCharitable Trust (AK/672707). The Institute has also been

Vol 9 (3) September 1995