Pacific Islands Languages and Societies Commons^™

A Critique Of The Youth Bulge Theory In Papua New Guinea And Melanesia, Patrick Kaiku

Pacific Studies

In this presentation, I address a pressing development issue in Papua New Guinea, an independent nation in the subregion of the Pacific known as Melanesia. Papua New Guinea is undisputedly the largest country in Melanesia in terms of land mass and population size. The sociocultural diversity and complex precolonial history of Papua New Guinea is highlighted as one of many contributing factors to the contemporary challenges it faces as a nation.

Betel Mania, From Culture To Cancer: Digestive And Discursive Uses Of The Betel Nut (Areca Catechu) In Guam, Anne Perez Hattori

Pacific Studies

Chewed in the Marianas for centuries, pugua, known scientifically as Areca catechu and colloquially as betel nut, is the world’s fourth most commonly used psychoactive substance after tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine-containing beverages. It has and continues to serve numerous cultural, social, political, medicinal, and economic purposes. At the same time, health concerns are mounting against pugua due to its classification as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization, as well as to high rates of cancer among Chamorros and to federal research funds that promote an antichewing agenda. This paper uses a range of sources to examine the historical use …

Vol. 41 No. 3 (2018): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 41, No 3-Dec 2018 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

He Lani Ko Luna, A Sky Above, Kalepa Baybayan

Pacific Studies

My remarks are written in response to a paper by Vilsoni Hereniko and Philipp Schorch entitled “The Canoe, The Wind, and The Mountain: Shunting the Rashomon Effect of Maunakea.” This paper is not intended to be an academic response, it serves simply as an opinion piece from an oceanic wayfinder with forty-three years of canoe sailing experience. I use the favored grammar practice of Hawaiian linguists of spelling all proper names as a single word; hence, “Maunakea” and not Mauna Kea. I write this paper while the Supreme Court of Hawaii is deliberating on the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) appeal …

Ka Ulu Koa Ma Kai: The Koa Grove Rises In The Sea, Ty P. Kāwika Tengan

Pacific Studies

Ty P. Kāwika Tengan's response to Hereniko and Schorchʻs "THE CANOE, THE WIND, AND THE MOUNTAIN: SHUNTING THE RASHOMON EFFECT OF MAUNA KEA".

Vol. 41 No. 3 (2018): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

The Canoe, The Wind, And The Mountain: Shunting The Rashomon Effect Of Mauna Kea, Vilsoni Hereniko, Philipp Schorch

Pacific Studies

Akira Kurosawa, one of Japan's famous directors, made a movie in 1950 about a murder and a rape in a forest that was witnessed by four people, all of whom have contradictory interpretations of what happened. Titled Rashomon, this film became one of the best-known movies by cinephiles around the world (1). Soon, different and conflicting accounts of a particular incident or event became generally known as the Rashomon effect (2). In this paper, we deploy this term to refer to the present controversy surrounding Mauna Kea, a mountain in Hawai‘i, and conflicting interpretations about what it is or should …

Authors’ Response, Vilsoni Hereniko, Philipp Schorch

Pacific Studies

Author's response to the forum of ideas created through the responses by Manulani Aluli Meyer, Ty P. Kāwika Tengan, and Chad Kalepa Babayan.

Voices Of Liberation: Indigenous Political Writings In Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, And Vanuatu During The Decolonization Era, David Chappell

Pacific Studies

Historians of post-1945 decolonization in Oceania often say that British “administrations were pushing for independence more than the islanders” (Thompson 1994, 153), and a literature scholar criticized indigenous political writings for their “absence of a truly revolutionary heritage [or] utopian schemes” (Subramani 1992: 18–20). Yet, considering the arbitrary colonial bordering in linguistically diverse Melanesia, “national” political consciousness was still under construction. Islanders had governed themselves in local village councils for millennia and had very limited access to colonial education, so grassroots movements for self-empowerment rarely embraced the entire colonial territory. The foreign-derived names of Melanesian countries typified their nation-building challenges: …

Layered Histories, Interpretive Desires, Rachelle Dang

Theses and Dissertations

I aim to excavate source material from the past and reinterpret its significance in the present through art. I merge history with the contemporary through acts of appropriation and material exploration, creating conditions for the viewer to grapple with colonial legacies in an affective space of visual experience.

“The Lolelaplap (Marshall Islands) In Us: Sailing West To East (Ralik→Ratak) To These Our Atolls (Aelon Kein Ad) Ad Jolet Jen Anij (Our Blessed Inheritance From God)”, Desmond N. Doulatram

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper discusses the expansion of Oceania through a Marshallese indigenous lens as a focal point. It explains that decolonizing methodologies allows reclaiming of space for mental liberation and reassurement of constitutional rights. It highlights similar occurrences of decolonization practices meeting resistance in the 21st century all while strengthening the human right argument that no human deserves any less than their fellow human brothers and sisters. It argues that an indigenous imagery can only be viewed through an indigenous lens where the researches’ level of purity is retained and unfiltered. It nevertheless argues that Marshallese ethnolinguistics reveal the same cultural …

Vol. 41 No. 1/2 (2018): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Europe And The Pacific: Introduction By The Guest Editor, Toon Van Meijl

Pacific Studies

Introduction article to the special issue, "Europe and The Pacific" by the guest editor, Toon van Meijl.

Anthropology Between Europe And The Pacific: Values And The Prospects For A Relationship Beyond Relativism, Joel Robbins

Pacific Studies

Joel Robbins expresses the relationship between Europe and Pacific peoples by analyzing the nature of anthropology in both areas of the world.

Le Fuia, Le Fuia, E Tagisia Lou Vaelau “Starling, Starling, We Pine For Your Nimbleness”: Towards A Samoan Indigenous Framing Of Responsibility For “Climate Change”, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta‘Isi Tupuola Tufuga Efi

Pacific Studies

"Over a century ago Augustin Kramer recorded a Samoan song with the line: le fuia, le fuia, e tagisia lou vaelau. I have translated this into English as “Starling, starling, we pine for your nimbleness.” The references to nimbleness and to the fuia, or native Samoan starling bird, are literal and metaphorical and were chosen deliberately for their ability to make visible an indigenous context. The line reminds that, with skill and dexterity, one can find in nature balance, hope, and support despite the potentially harmful effects of gravity. This address uses this phrase and its Samoan indigenous …

Our Rising Sea Of Islands: Pan-Pacific Regionalism In The Age Of Climate Change, Katerina Teaiwa

Pacific Studies

"Both Oceania Rising and the Climate Warriors represent postcolonial, antihegemonic movements that are grounded in contemporary customs, realities, and cultural identities, while simultaneously championing broader regional identities and unifying concerns. This essay tentatively explores these twenty-first century expressions of a shared Oceania in relation to earlier unifying concepts such as those expressed by the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara (1997) and Professor Epeli Hau‘ofa (1994)."

Vol. 41 No. 1/2 (2018): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 41, No 1/2-Apr/Aug 2018 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Ocean In Us: Security Of Life In The World's Largest Ocean, Joeli Veitayaki

Pacific Studies

"The sea is our pathway to each other and to everyone else, the sea is our endless saga, the sea is our most powerful metaphor, the ocean is in us. (Hau’ofa 2008, 58)

Climate change has arrived. It is the greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific and one of the greatest challenges for the entire world. (Majuro Declaration 2013, Article 1)"

The Sharing Of Cultural Heritage Between Europe And The Pacific: The Kanak Experience, Emmanuel Kasarhérou

Pacific Studies

Emmanuel Kasarhérou's article on the sharing of cultural heritage between the Pacific and Europe, specifically in relation to New Caledonia.

The Education Of Thomas Sweeny : A Case Study Of Education For The Poor In New York City, 1828-1845, Josie Madison

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation explores the education of one of the first inmates of the New York House of Refuge, the first juvenile reformatory in the country. The relationship between reformatory staff and inmates is considered, along with indenturing practices of the institution, including the practice of indenturing a significant number of boys to the whaling industry. In the case of Thomas Sweeny, the Refuge’s plan for reformation was successful because of the unique circumstances that led Sweeny to live for a time as a beachcomber in the islands of the South Pacific. His skill at acquiring languages and his ability to …

Suicide In Federated States Of Micronesia: A New Direction, Francis Hezel

Pacific Studies

This paper is written to convey survey findings on the rate of suicide in the Federated States of Micronesia.

Being Rotuman On The Internet, Alan Howard

Pacific Studies

This paper is written to show how Rotuman cultural identity is affected and expressed on the internet.

Artefacts Of Encounter: Cook's Voyages, Colonial Collecting, And Museum Histories, Jeffrey Mifflin

Pacific Studies

Book review by Jeffrey Mifflin of "Artefacts of Encounter: Cook’s Voyages, Colonial Collecting, and Museum Histories".

Vol. 40 No. 3 (2017): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 40, No 3-Dec 2017 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Vol. 40 No. 3 (2017): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Gendered Impacts Of Global Economic Shocks: Findings From Households In Melanesia, Jaclyn Donahue, Kathleen Eccles, Simon Feeny, Lachlan Mcdonald, Alberto Posso

Pacific Studies

This paper examines the gendered impacts of multiple severe global economic shocks in two Melanesian countries: Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. It focuses on the sharp food and fuel price hikes in 2007 and 2008 and the subsequent Global Financial Crisis, which quickly turned into a broader economic crisis. Using gender-disaggregated data, it examines the impacts on women across three economic spheres: financial, productive, and reproductive. Findings indicate that that a disproportionate burden of the adjustment to these shocks was borne by women. Without gender-disaggregation and a focus on gender norms, policies risk being at best incomplete and at worst harmful …

Invisible Islanders: Precarious Work And Pacific Settlers In Rural Australia, Makiko Nishitani, Helen Lee

Pacific Studies

A growing number of studies have focused on precarious employment in relation to temporary and illegal immigration status. However, few have examined if this precarity is resolved once migrants acquire permanent residency. This article explores the work experiences of Pacific Islander settlers in rural Australia who either overstayed their visas or had temporary visas and later acquired Australian residency. These Pacific people are employed primarily in seasonal labor and find it difficult to gain more secure employment outside the horticultural sector. Even members of the second generation tend to work as casual laborers on farms. The difficulties migrants face in …

On Being Modern People: Abandonment Of Pig Husbandry In Haivaro, Papua New Guinea, Sandrine Lefort

Pacific Studies

The abandonment of pig husbandry by several communities in Papua New Guinea has been explained in terms of hygiene, Christianity, and economics or combinations of all three. At Haivaro—a small village in the lowlands of northwestern Gulf Province—these three factors were reinforced by an emerging desire to act, and be seen, as “modern.” A progressive decrease in social occasions that entailed the exchange of pigs or the sharing of pork, combined with increased availability of new modern items, led Haivaro people to revalue their world in monetary terms. In this process, they developed a sense that some of their past …

Mo'ikeha's Voyage From Tahiti To Hawaii: A Look Into Polynesian Culture, Kalea Tetsuka

Young Historians Conference

The purpose of this paper was to explore the historiography and significance of Mo’ikeha’s voyage from Tahiti to Hawaii. Traced back to around the 13th century, Mo’ikeha sailed from Tahiti to Hawaii using traditional navigational skills mastered by Polynesian voyagers. For years this was merely dismissed as a myth by European scholars, but in 1976 the Hokule’a recreated this trip using the same navigational techniques and traditional boat. Today, Mo’ikeha’s story will continue to live on, inspiring movies like Moana and proving the historical and cultural value of Hawaiian oral history.

Reading Realities Through Tā-Vā, Nuhisifa Seve-Williams

Pacific Studies

This essay is taken from my PhD dissertation and discusses how I was able to make sense of the theory tā-vā theoretically and apply it as an analytical tool in “reading” the stories of the Pacific students in my study, in particular of two Pacific students in my study.