' The South Seas '
Raymond Firth
Interlocutor, Sir Frederick Whyte ,
K.C.S.I.
This evening's broadcast will be rather different from those which have preceded it in this series.
In describing Polynesia, that great group of Pacific islands, the speaker will contribute a touch of colour to a series that is primarily concerned with political, economic, and strategic questions. The first white men to visit Polynesia were astonished at the courage and skill with which the natives travelled hundreds of miles between the various islands in their frail outrigger canoes. Today times have changed, and the white man has come to open up trade and to break down the barriers of distance with steamship and aeroplane.
Dr. Firth is a well-known anthropologist. He is a New Zealander, and at one time spent a considerable time in the Polynesian island of Tikopia.