Provides students with the historical and intellectual context of the study of the Pacific Islands, including the conceptual and theoretical tools needed to comprehend the more than one thousand societies and cultures there. The broad outlines of the waves of human settlers in the region are explored, followed by discussions of specific topics, in selected locales, that best represent the rich diversity of the region. Topics include suicide, art and creativity, religion and sorcery, chieftainship, relations with the environment and how islanders see themselves in their worlds.