ARGONAUTS OF THE WESTERN PACIFIC An Account of Native Enterprise and Adventure in the Archipelagoes of Melanesian New Guinea BY BRONISLAW MALINOWSld^I With a Preface by SIR JAMES G. FRAZER Press Opinions 'Not only ethnographers and economists will dehght in this book. The author's infinitely carefiil scientific method makes the material he has collected so completely trust- worthythatitispossibleto useit£ot all sorts of purposes for which it was not directly intended. Wecommend itto all.* Spectator 'This extremely valuable and interesting volume. A remarkable record of anthro- pologicalresearch. Notonlyofhighscientific value, but extremely goodreading.* Saturday Review 60s. net I'Ti'^V.^iK'^LiD^M THEBRANCHLIBRARIES At 3 3333 06046 1106 ^^9.M»9> Reference Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/argonautsofwesteOOmali STUDIES IN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE Edited by The Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science No. 65 in the series ofMonographs by writers connected with the London Schoolof Economics and Political Science ARGONAUTS OF THE WESTERN PACIFIC THE NEW YORK PUBLIC U8RARY MID-MANHATTANUB?;,^Ky hsS 455 SthAw.. N.y..N,V.je8M ROBERT MOND EXPEDITION TO NEW GUINEA, 1914-1918 BY THE SAME AUTHOR Crime and Custom in SavageSociety. London: Routledge & Kegan PaulLtd.; New York: Harcourt Brace and Co. Seventh Impvession, 196L SexandRepressioninSavageSociety. London Routledge&Kegan Paul Ltd.; New York: Harcourt Brace and Co:. Sixth Impression, 1961. The Sexual Life of Savages in N.W. Melanesia. London: Rout- ledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. Seventh Impression, 1957. ARGONAUTS OF THE WESTERN PACIFIC ^An ^Account of O^ttve Enterprise and KAdyenture in the ^Archipelagoes of Melanesian !}{ew Quinea BY BRONISLAW MALINOWSKI Ph.D. (Cracow), D.Sc. (London) WITH A PREFACE BY SIR JAMES GEORGE FRAZER, F.B.A., F.R.S. WITH 5 MAPS, 65 ILLUSTRATIONS, AND 2 FIGURES. LONDON ROUTLEDGE & KEGAN PAUL LTD. NEW YORK: E. P. BUTTON & COMPANY, INC. Firstpublished 1922 Second itnpression 1932 Third impression 1950 Fourth impression 1952 Fifth impression i960 Sixth impression 1964 Seventh impression 1966 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY LOWE AND BRYDONE (PRINTERS) LTD. LONDON N.W.IO TO MY FRIEND AND TEACHER PROFESSOR C. G. SELIGMAN, F.R.S.