The island of stone money

A detailed travel-ethnographic study of a Micronesian island community presents daily life, dwellings, and social organization. It describes native houses and bachelors’ clubs, clothing and personal adornment, and the songs, dances, and incantations that structure performance and social occasions. A substantial portion examines the island’s distinctive stone money system—its manufacture, circulation, and role in exchange, status, and ceremonial giving—while also outlining friendships, kinship patterns, and class distinctions. Religion, burial rites, tattooing practices, and sensory perception such as color classification are discussed with attention to ritual meaning and material culture. Practical appendices supply grammatical notes, vocabulary, maps, and photographic illustrations that document the author’s observations.