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.