A simple and delightful film of primitive life on Likiep Island, a South Pacific atoll now under American trusteeship. The formation of the coral island is explained. The people are shown at work, at play, at school, and at worship. Highlights include the catching of a giant clam by an undersea diver, the hunt and capture of a giant turtle, and a birthday feast (1964 IFF catalog). This film describes the island, Likiep, one of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific, a curving strip of coral, inhabited by natives who earn their livelihood at fishing. They build their own boats, and boatbuilding is a craft handed down from father to son. Navigation is taught the children early. The island grows little but coconuts, some of which are exported. The natives have been converted to Christianity early missionaries, though many old customs and taboos remain. The film shows something of their neat and tidy homes, the simple administration of justice, a feast, etc. (1950 NYU Film Library catalog)

Edited Film