Tales from Manus Island

Tales from Manus Island is a compilation of legends told to Geneva Ensign in 1971 while conducting research fifty years ago on the educational system and Indigenous school teachers.

Divided into three sections, there are tales told by adults with ink sketches by Matthew Bill, Indigenous school teacher. A middle section portrays a few scenes from around the island, and the third section contains stories written and illustrated by Manus 6th graders.

Throughout the pages of this book, you will "hear the voices" of Manus Islanders, young and old, sharing the tales that have been told and retold over thousands of years. These age-old legends are filled with the stuff of life --death and birth, joy and fear, love and hate, monsters and masalai.