Arts and Humanities Commons^™

002 Transcription Notes, Bill Donner Dr

Sikaiana Oral Stories

Notes about transcription and translation for the Sikaiana oral and recorded material.

01 Traditional Songs Introduction, William Donner

Sikaiana Traditional Songs

This is an introduction to Sikaiana songs. It includes a discussion of the social cultural context of song composition and singing. There is a discussion of the different features of song production and a list of different song genres. Most of the discussion is concerned with traditional song expression that are part of derived form changes associated with colonialism and modernization.

Chapter 10, Life In Town In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

A description of emigration to towns, mainly Honiara, among the Sikaiana people of the Solomon Islands from 1980 to 1993. The migrants maintained and developed many ways to express their solidarity and community.

A related website can be found here,

Entire Ethnography, Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

This is the entire ethnography of Sikaiana. Separate chapters are also listed at this location.

A related website is www.sikaianaarchives.com

003 Abbreviations For Sikaiana Dictionary, William Donner

Sikaiana Dictionary

These are the abbreviations for the semantic and grammatical notes for a dictionary of the Sikaiana language in the Solomon Islands.

2 Introduction To The Sikaiana Dictionary, Updated 2020, William Donner

Sikaiana Dictionary

An overview and update to the Sikaiana Dictionary.

7 Appendices To Sikaiana Dictionary, William Donner

Sikaiana Dictionary

Appendices to the Sikaiana Dictionary including personal names, place names, English/Pijin borrowings and illustrations.

4 Introduction And Grammar To Sikaiana Language, William Donner

Sikaiana Dictionary

An introductions and brief grammar of the language of the Sikaiana people, Solomon Islands.

6 English Word Finder, William Donner

Sikaiana Dictionary

A finder list of English words to find Sikaiana equivalents.

1 Dictionary Of The Sikaiana Language, William Donner

Sikaiana Dictionary

Full Dictionary of the Sikaiana language including short grammar, list of words with grammatical functions, examples, English glosses, finder list, personal names, place names, English/Pijin borrowings, illustrations.

Appendices, William Donner Phd

Sikaiana Ethnography

Appendices that include demographic and glossary for the ethnography of Sikaiana

Chapter 4, My Life, In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

A description of my life living with and learning from the Sikaiana people of the Solomon Islands, 1980-1993. The discussion includes how I established relationships and adjusted to life, and how I conducted ethnographic research.

A related website in www.sikaianaarchives.com

Chapter 12: Drinking, In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

The role or alcohol consumption among the Sikaiana, Solomon Islands. This is an account from 1980 to 1993 and the Sikaiana do not drink as heavily at present (2020). The chapter discusses the manner in which alcohol was integrated into Sikaiana life from 1980-1993.

A related site can be found at www.sikaianaarchives.com

Chapter 11, Songs In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

A chapter on song composition and performance in the Sikaiana ethnography. Songs were an important part of Sikaiana life in 1980-1993. There were two major song types: songs composed in a traditional Polynesian style, and songs composed for the more recently introduced guitar.

A related website is www.sikaianaarchives.com

Chapter 1, Another Perspective, In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

This chapter serves as an introduction to cultural anthropology as an enterprise and this ethnography of the Sikaiana people. It discusses why learning about other cultures is important to for understanding human diversity across the globe and also provided another perspective for examining and understanding my own culture.

Chapter 2, Getting There In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

This chapter describes how I got to do ethnographic research on Sikaiana, how I decided to go there and the logistics of setting up my research including funding, traveling and my initial meetings of Sikaiana people.

A related website is at www.sikaianaarchives.com

Chapter 8, Individuals, In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

The lives of 5 different Sikaiana individuals. I give a brief description of their lives and also my different relationships with them.

A related website is at www.sikaianaarchives.com

Chapter 3, Daily Life In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

This chapter is a discussion of daily life on Sikaiana in the Solomon Islands , 980-1993. It describes daily routines, work and events.

A related website can be found at www.sikaianaarchives.com

Conclusion, Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner Phd

Sikaiana Ethnography

Conclusion to Sikaiana ethnography. Discusses how the Sikaiana people maintained a tight-knit community with intense interpersonal relationships in the 20th Century..

Related material at www.sikaianaarchives.com

Chapter 6, Family, In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

A discussion of the importance of kinship, descent, marriage and family among the Sikaiana people of the Solomon Islands, 1980-1993.

A related website is www.sikaianaarchives.com

Chapter 9 Interaction, In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

Concepts of person and expectations for interaction among the Sikaiana people of the Solomon Islands from 1980-1993.

Related material at www.Sikaianaarchives.com

Chapter 5, History, In Intimacy And Community In A Changing World: Sikaiana Life 1980-1993, William Donner

Sikaiana Ethnography

This chapter is a discussion of the legendary and the more recent recorded history of the Sikaiana people from the Solomon Islands.

A related website can be found at www.sikaianaarchives.com

Saka, Fane Telena, Unknown Sikaiana

Sikaiana Traditional Songs

These are two saka, songs composed for a secret lover (hina) in traditional Sikaiana society. I know that one was collected from Fane Telena, the other I found in my notes.

Tani Various, Sikaiana People

Sikaiana Traditional Songs

These are transcriptions of several tani or funeral dirges. Tani are composed after a person dies. I do not have a record of who gave me the transcriptions, most likely John Kilatu and/or Reuben Tenai. I do not have recordings for these songs.

Mako Hatu Composed Songs, Reuben Tenai, John Kilatu Dr

Sikaiana Traditional Songs

Two traditional composed songs (mako hatu) that I found in my notes, most likely from John Kilatu and/or Reuben Tenai.

003 Tehui Atahu, Oral Legend

Sikaiana Oral Stories

The Story of Tehui Atahu

This is a transcript and translation of 12 pages given to me by Edwin Huilani on Sikaiana, in 1981-2. The story is about the founder hero of Sikaiana, Tehui Atahu. The back page of the manuscript is dated August 1972. Although I do not know the source, the story follows closely the stories that I heard on Sikaiana, although there are several different versions with minor differences. The original and translation should be of interest to Sikaiana people and might be an aid in language preservation.

05 Holau, The Voyage Of Mr. Boe, Mark Etua, Pita Sharples, Priscilla Taulupo, Bill Donner

Sikaiana Oral Stories

This is the story of the last (or one of the last) voyages (holau) from Sikaiana. It was recorded by Mark Etua as part of linguistic research done by Peter Sharples among the Sikaiana. The transcription into the Sikaiana language was done by Priscilla Taulupo and the rough translation by Bill Donner (sorry for any errors).

Traditionally, Sikaiana people were master voyagers, capable of traveling hundreds of kilometers. This voyage was probably conducted in the 1920s by a trader for Lever Brothers in his dinghy when he was short of supplies. He had several Sikaiana people help, including …

04 Taupule, A Woman From Tuvalu, Johnson Siota, Pita Sharples Dr, Priscilla Taulupo, Bill Donner

Sikaiana Oral Stories

This recording was made by Johnson Siota was part of linguistic research conducted by Dr. Pita Sharples among the Sikaiana people of the Solomon Islands n the 1960s. The transcription in Sikaiana is by Priscilla Taulupo and the rough translation is by Bill Donner. The story of Taupule was well known to Sikaiana people during my stays in the 1980s on Sikaiana. She came from the Tuvalu and was dropped off on Sikaiana by a trader during her pregnancy, sometime in the late 1800s. She warned traders that life would change from contact with Europeans. her descendants felt a certain …