▁work ▁in ▁central ▁Van u atu , ▁bringing ▁to ▁the ▁fore ▁the ▁ske let ons ▁of ▁former ▁chief s ▁described ▁in ▁local ▁myth s , ▁who ▁had ▁thus ▁been ▁living ▁persons , ▁shows ▁that ▁there ▁can ▁be ▁some ▁means ▁of ▁as certain ing ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁some ▁groups ▁which ▁otherwise ▁would ▁be ▁de emed ▁a - histor ical . ▁Another ▁issue ▁is ▁the ▁experience ▁that ▁the ▁same ▁person ▁can ▁tell ▁one ▁a ▁myth ▁highly ▁charged ▁in ▁symbols , ▁and ▁some ▁years ▁later ▁a ▁sort ▁of ▁chron ological ▁history ▁claim ing ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁chron ic ▁of ▁a ▁descent ▁line ▁( from ▁examples ▁in ▁the ▁Lo yal ty ▁islands ▁and ▁New ▁Zealand ), ▁the ▁two ▁texts ▁having ▁in ▁common ▁that ▁they ▁each ▁deal ▁in ▁top ographical ▁detail ▁with ▁the ▁land - ten ure ▁claims ▁of ▁the ▁said ▁descent ▁line ▁( see ▁Douglas ▁Oliver ▁on ▁the ▁Si w ai ▁in ▁B oug ain ville ). ▁Lé vi - St ra uss ▁would ▁agree ▁to ▁these ▁aspects ▁be ▁explained ▁inside ▁his ▁sem inar , ▁but ▁would ▁never ▁touch ▁them ▁on ▁his ▁own . ▁The ▁anth rop ological ▁data ▁content ▁of ▁the ▁myth s ▁was ▁not ▁his ▁problem . ▁He ▁was ▁only ▁interested ▁with ▁the ▁formal ▁aspects ▁of ▁each ▁story , ▁considered ▁by ▁him ▁as ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁the ▁work ings ▁of ▁the ▁collect ive ▁un cons cious ▁of ▁each ▁group , ▁which ▁idea ▁was ▁taken ▁from ▁the ▁lingu ists , ▁but ▁cannot ▁be ▁proved ▁in ▁any ▁way ▁although ▁he ▁was ▁ad am ant ▁about ▁its ▁existence