William Lessa's comparative folklore study of Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands of Micronesia, published by the University of California Press in 1961, collecting and analyzing narratives told by named Ulithian narrators. It documents the extensive Olifat (also spelled Iolofath or Yelafath) trickster and culture-hero cycle found in variant forms across the Central Caroline Islands, in which Olifat, son of a sky deity and a mortal woman, uses cunning and magic to outwit stronger rivals, steal fire and secure benefits for humankind. Its strength is systematic comparison of the same cycle's variants across several island communities. Its limit is that, as folklore collected from oral performance, the narratives resist a single authoritative version by design.
Facts
Citation
AuthorWilliam A. Lessa
PublisherUniversity of California Press
Publication Year1961
Source TypeEthnography
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
A standard comparative folklore study by a named specialist in Micronesian oral tradition, collected directly from island narrators and published by a major university press. Connections
Associated With
This source names California directly: "published by the University of California Press in 1961, collecting and analyzing narratives told by named Ulithian narrators."
Source Tales from Ulithi Atoll: A Comparative Study of Oceanic Folklore (Lessa)William A. Lessa
This source names Micronesia directly: "Atoll in the Caroline Islands of Micronesia, published by the University of California Press in 1961, collecting and analyzing narratives told by named Ulithian narrators."
Source Tales from Ulithi Atoll: A Comparative Study of Oceanic Folklore (Lessa)William A. Lessa
This source names Olifat directly: "It documents the extensive Olifat (also spelled Iolofath or Yelafath) trickster and culture-hero cycle found in variant forms across the Central Caroline Islands, in which Olifat, son of a sky deity..."
Source Tales from Ulithi Atoll: A Comparative Study of Oceanic Folklore (Lessa)William A. Lessa
Claims Backed By This Source (17 claims)
This source backs 17 claims across the atlas. As facts: 11 well-attested. As cited relationships: 5 holds. Plus 1 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Sources, 9 claims: 6 well-attested, 3 holds.
- Deities, 8 claims: 5 well-attested, 2 holds, 1 general references.
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