TOBI CAPTURED - CONVERGING ETHNOGRAPHIC AND COLONIAL VISIONS ON A CAROLINE ISLAND

Although the voluminous ethnographic material generated by the 1908-19 10 Hamburg South Sea expedition still informs anthropological and hist orical research in Micronesia, the historical context of the expeditio n has received little attention. This article addresses that context, relating it to theoretical issues involved in current critical inquiri es concerning ethnological museums, specifically their competitive pol itics and collecting and publishing practices. By focusing on the expe dition members' visit to just one island, Tobi, the expedition's aims and accomplishments are examined against the backdrop of German coloni alism in the Caroline Islands.