Micronesian Religion and Lore - A Guide to Sources, 1526-1990

There are far fewer publications on the ethnology of Micronesia than for any other region in the Pacific. This dearth is especially seen in the traditional religion, folklore, and iconography of the area. Haynes and Wuerch have located 1,193 relevant titles. For the first time, these mostly scarce or unpublished materials are now accessible in this essential research tool. The focus is on tradition, which became modified after contact with the West-the adaptation and persistence of these traditions are included in this bibliography.

Traditional Micronesian iconography is largely religious in nature, as is the case with most tribal or preliterate societies. There is also a large corpus of Micronesian myths, legends, beliefs, and practices that may not fit the Western concept of religion, but would be classified under folklore. That distinction cannot be consistently made in Micronesian cultures, nor in most other preliterate, thus prehistoric, societies. The overlap of religion and folklore is pervasive, so the scope of subjects included is broad. The subject matter encompasses magic, sorcery, ritual, cosmology, mythology, iconography, iconology, oral traditions, songs, chants, dance, music, traditional medicine, and many activities of daily life. Only those works that directly treat these subjects in the context of religion or folklore are included in this volume.

List of contents

Foreword by The Reverend Dr. G.E. Gorman, FLA FRSA
Preface
Introduction: Congeries of Spirits by Francis X. Hezel, S. J.
Early Accounts, 1526-1872
General or Comprehensive Works
Myths, Legends, Proverbs, and Riddles
Magic and Medicine
Supernatural Beings: Deities, Spirits, Ghosts, and Monsters
The Life Cycle
Acculturation, Persistence, and Preservation
Song, Dance, Music, and Celebration
Geographic Index
Author Index
Title Index
Subject Index

Product details

• Authors: Douglas Haynes, William Wuerch, Wuerch William L.
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: ages 7 to 17
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 22.02.1995
• EAN: 9780313289552
• ISBN: 978-0-313-28955-2
• Series: Bibliographies and Indexes in Religious Studies
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Dictionaries, reference works > Dictionaries, encyclopaedias; Religion, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology of Religion, Anthropology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / General, c 1500 onwards to present day, Folklore, myths & legends, Alternative belief systems, Modern Period, C 1500 Onwards, Tribal religions, Micronesia, Indigenous, ethnic and folk religions and spiritual beliefs, Folklore studies / Study of myth (mythology), RELIGION / Folk & Tribal