Physical description
The King and People of Fiji
Author: Rev Joseph Waterhouse
Publisher: Wesleyan Conference Office
Date: 1866
Publication type
non-fiction
Inscriptions & markings
The label on spine with typed text RA 996.11 WAT"
Inside Front, end paper has a sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute
Inside front, end paper has a stamp from Warrnambool Public Museum
Handwriting on the Flypaper reads " Henty Findon 1866" (See Note Section this Document)
Summary
The King and People of Fiji (1866) centres on the biography of Thakombau (Cakobau), Fiji's chief from 1817-1883, blending it with ethnographic details of Fijian society before the 1854 Christian reformation. It covers pre Christian manners, customs, superstitions, court politics, mythology, community structures, inter-island warfare, cannibalism rituals (like consuming war captives and widows), and hospitality toward missionaries and visitors. Chapters open dramatically, such as "First Blood" depicting young Thakombau's initiation in revenge killings.
Keywords
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- book,
- warrnambool library,
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- mechanics’ institute library,
- victorian library board,
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- warrnambool public library,
- the king and people of fiji,
- rev joseph waterhouse
References
- Rev Joseph Waterhouse Joseph Waterhouse - Australian Dictionary of Biography - ANU
- Smithsonian
- eHRAF, World Cultures.
- Aotearoa Books
- AbeBooks
