The Trobriand Islands with a culture of self-reliance and magic has changed little over generations. Not even the missionaries have been able to alter the view of the Trobriand Islanders that their Islands are a paradise full of magic and sensuality.

Left: Crowned with hibiscus, necklaced with shell beads and wild banana seeds, a boy from Kitava Island wraps himself in a sarong. At puberty, when he leaves home to share a bachelor house with other teenage boys, such ornaments will help him attract girls. Right: Crested with cockatoo feathers, a dancer adds dots of powdered coral mixed with water. He will join the feasting, singing and dancing of the yam festival.