Figuration and symbolism in Tikopia fishing and fish use

Abstract

Fish, so important in the diet and activities of many Oceanic island peoples, are also involved in their imaginative, figurative constructs. But such constructs may be only distantly related to economic concerns. In traditional Tikopia culture, fish were a means of figurative statement about social status, and religious dependence, and could be interpreted as markers to the fate of individuals. Some concepts of fish portrayed them as sentient creatures, capable of understanding basic human speech and responding to simple inducements of greed and pride, sometimes incarnating spiritual beings. Tikopia parallels between fish and men express some of their deeply-held ideas about human nature and human society.

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