LOVE IN THE SOUTH SEAS

LOVE IN THE SOUTH SEAS by Bengt Danielson, Anthropologist on the Kon-Tiki Voyage. Reynal & Co., 1956.

A person never knows his own culture well until he has viewed other peoples, other ways, and then looks back upon his own with a new perspective. Such is Dr.

Danielson's penetrating analysis of Polynesian culture in contrast to our own.

Contrary to popular concepts, the Polynesians were not moral anarchists but, rather, slaves to customs all their own. To begin with, they have valued above all a comfortable life, with enjoyment and a full spontaniety of feelings, quite in contrast to our Western values of emotional suppression and competition for economic wealth. Their valuations of spontaneity have been most marked in their sexual attitudes.

"It cannot be denied that compared with us Westerners the Polynesians seem abnormally oversexed. But this is primarily because we are so repressed and puritanical; in reality, it is not the Polynesians but our own attitude toward sex and love that is peculiar and abnormal.

"World-wide anthropological data shows that of the 118 peoples on whose attitude toward sex matters we have detailed information, only two Negro peoples are anything like as puritanical and anti-sexual as us Westerners.

"The Polynesians considered that love was an art, which could and should be learnt.

"They avoided a too violent conflict between 'normal and abnormal' persons by allowing homosexuality to a limited extent and giving social sanction to those who wished to live as transvestites."

Not that the islands were an ideal paradise, for they were burdened with a rigid caste system and many taboos. Nor could we adopt the Polynesian ways of sexual freedom without a drastic alteration of our whole social and religious organization and ideals. Yot Dr. Danielson does

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