Includes bibliographical references.

Social structure: Principles involved -- Ideal structure -- Village organization -- Intravillage functions of the Fono -- Intervillage functions of the Fono -- Descent group -- Outside the pattern -- Subversion of the ideal pattern -- Village structure and descent group -- Individual in the social pattern: Village groups -- Craft relationships -- Descent group -- Offenders and the offended -- Daily life in Manua -- Ceremonial life in Manua: types of ceremonial -- Significant seating arrangement -- Elements in malaga ceremonial -- Fono ceremonial -- Ceremonies based upon reciprocal relations -- Transaction type -- Validations --Economic aspect of Manuan society: Division of labor -- Property -- Dominant cultural attitudes -- Birth, childhood and adolescence: Ceremonies and observances connected with birth --Functions of relatives -- Care and feeding of the child -- Adoption -- Childhood -- Circumcision -- Formal recognition by the community -- Aumaga -- Aualuma -- Titled youth -- Courtship, marriage and maturity -- Sickness, death, and burial: Theories of sickness and death -- Preparation of corpse and interment -- Mourning ceremonies -- Burial and rank -- Functions of relatives -- Proxy burial -- Kava ceremonial: Kava making -- Uses of kava -- Kava in the household -- Kava in the village -- Variations in the ceremony -- Prohibitions -- Kava as a beverage -- Historical considerations -- Rank in Manua: Costume and rank -- Courtesy language -- Rank in relation to other aspects of culture -- Tapu: Tapu in Polynesia -- Samoan tapus which are Polynesian -- Samoan categories of the forbidden -- Hieroglyphic tapus -- Rank and tapu -- Attitude towards women -- Prohibitions concerning death -- Prohibitions surrounding work -- Prohibitions surrounding gods -- Lifting tapus -- Kinship functions and terminology: Kinship terms -- Terms of address -- Descent -- Genealogies and family traditions -- Functions of relatives -- Avoidance -- Comparison with western Samoa -- Manuan religion: Traditions of creation -- Manuan gods -- Classes of spiritual beings -- Priests and mediums -- Life after death -- Sun cult -- Human sacrifice, prayers, and offerings -- Summary -- Dreams and omens -- War, cannibalism, and justice -- The Tui Manua and the seven villages of Manua: Village differentiation -- Traditions of the name of Manua -- Traditions surrounding the Tui Manua -- Installation of the Tui Manua -- Tapu of the Tui Manua -- Etiquette surrounding the Tui manua --Marriage of the Tui Manua -- Taupou of the Tui Manua -- Manaia of the Tui Manua -- Death and burial of the Tui Manua -- Genealogies of the Tui Manua -- Position of the Tui Manua in the Manuan Archipelago -- Kava ceremony of the Tui Manua -- the Faalupega of Manua -- Relationship of the Tui manua to the rest of Samoa -- Tau -- Faleaasao -- Fitiuta (Agae) -- Ofu -- Olosega -- Sili -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Conclusion 1969, Reflections on later theoretical work on the Samoans -- Appendix 1: Later publications on Samoa used in preparation of 1969 edition -- Appendix 2: Later publications by the author.

Reprint of the 1930 ed. published by The Museum, Honolulu.