ABSTRACT
W. H. Pearson appeared to get inside the culture of Polynesians of the 18th century and earlier to explain how they perceived European visitors. Much of the confusion over early contact relations therefore hinges on the question of whether Polynesian attempts to acquire European articles should be called by the word 'theft'. The Europeans certainly regarded it as theft, but it is often suggested, partly on the basis of Pearson's work, that the Polynesians were merely exercising their rights as hosts. Few encounters imply that Polynesians thought that they had a right to whatever was available. The Tahitians' attempts to remove the stanchions and ring-bolts could possibly fit Pearson's hypothesis that the Polynesians considered that they had a natural right to the ship, but the behaviour is as likely to be an expression of curiosity. The purpose of the ceremonies, like ceremonies of naturalisation, was to bring the strangers within the scope of Polynesian law and convention.
