and it is a possibility which must be borne in mind in any discussion of Polynesian ethnology.
Still more doubtful is the assumption that the bird-cult is early because it has parallels in Melanesia. There is much reason to believe that the bird-cults of Melanesia, and especially that form of totemism in which the totems are birds, are late. These cults are especially definite in the more northern parts of Melanesia, and there is a definite association between bird-totemism and cremation, this being almost certainly one of the latest forms of disposal of the dead in this region, due indirectly to Hindu influence which reached Melanesia by way of Indonesia. It is a very doubtful argument that because a Polynesian practice is found in Melanesia it therefore belongs to the earlier stratum of Polynesian culture. The special value of this book, however, is that it does away with much of the isolation in which the culture of Easter Island has hitherto stood, and the relative chronology of the constituent elements of its culture can only be determined by a wide survey in which Easter Island is treated in relation to the rest of Polynesia.
In concluding this inadequate review of a noteworthy book one of its most important lessons must be emphasized. From all that was known when the expedition left England it seemed unlikely that much would be learnt concerning aspects of culture other than those gained through archaeological methods. To a large extent these prognostications have been justified, but such fragments as Mrs. Routledge has been able to obtain are of very great importance. The point I wish to emphasize is that the expedition was only just too late to obtain more extensive results. Its experience with the last expert in the knowledge of the engraved tablets shows that even a few years earlier this element in the mystery of Easter Island might have been dispelled. My own experience in the Hawaiin Islands showed[1] that much may even now be recovered from places in Polynesia where the indigenous culture has almost disappeared. There are still many parts of Polynesia, such as the Marquesas and Rarotonga, where immediate exploration will certainly give results of the greatest value, but every year reduces the chances of success.
- ↑ History of Melanesian Society (Cambridge) vol. i. (1914), p, 374.
