Pacific Islands Languages and Societies Commons^™

Kapingamarangi People In The United States, Michael D. Lieber, Willys Peters, Rosita Peters, Mike Borong

Pacific Studies

This article explores the Kapingamarangi diaspora, focusing on the formation and transformation of their communities outside their ancestral homeland. Since their initial migration to Pohnpei in 1919, Kapinga people have established enclaves across Micronesia and the United States, driven by educational opportunities and labor recruitment. The study examines how Kapinga migrants sustain cultural identity through face-to-face interactions and digital communication, redefining the concept of community in a transnational context. By analyzing their lived experiences—including challenges related to healthcare, employment, and social integration—the article highlights the interplay between traditional Kapinga cultural models and adaptation in the diaspora. Ultimately, this work contributes …

Pohnpeians In Hawai‘I: Refashioning Identity In Diaspora, Suzanne Falgout

Pacific Studies

This article explores the enduring significance of voyaging in Micronesian life, tracing its evolution from ancient exploration to modern migration. Historically, Oceanic peoples navigated vast distances, guided by sophisticated techniques such as etak, and maintained strong kinship and trade connections. Pohnpeians, once skilled voyagers, transitioned to a land-centered lifestyle due to their island’s abundant resources, yet travel remained a culturally marked practice associated with prestige and danger. In recent centuries, migration patterns have shifted, driven by colonial influences and economic necessity. Pohnpeian migrants in Hawai‘i navigate identity transformation while preserving traditional values, adapting through social networks and cultural practices. This …

Discourses On Chuukese Customary Adoption, Migration, And The Laws Of State(S), Manuel Rauchholz

Pacific Studies

This article concerns Chuukese adoption, child exchange, and fosterage practices and how they are continued or discontinued when Chuukese migrate to Guam, Hawai‘i, or the continental United States.1 By focusing on one cultural practice and the system of values attached to it, I hope to pinpoint some of the major changes that take place when key identity- shaping factors diversify and are no longer shared by an ethnic group, let alone families within that ethnic group. We will see how, for Chuukese today, “cultural citizenship” is a “dual process of self-making and being made within the webs of power linked …

Return Migration To American Samoa, Fepulea‘I Micah Van Der Ryn

Pacific Studies

This article examines the rising phenomenon of return migration to American Samoa, driven by economic, social, and familial factors. With a growing percentage of residents consisting of "returnees" from the U.S.-based Samoan diaspora, this migration reflects deep connections to land, kinship, and cultural identity. Using case studies and interviews, the study analyzes how returnees reintegrate into traditional Samoan structures, navigating values such as tautua (service), alofa (compassion), and fa‘aāloalo (respect). Differences in governance between American Samoa and independent Samoa shape migration patterns, influencing land tenure and chiefly authority. Socioeconomic and environmental factors also impact migration decisions, revealing a complex interplay …

Pacific Islands Diaspora Studies, Michael A. Rynkiewich

Pacific Studies

This article highlights the underrepresentation of Pacific Islands in diaspora studies, arguing that their migration history is deeply significant and worthy of greater academic attention. While diaspora research has expanded in recent decades, traditional frameworks such as diffusion and acculturation struggle to capture contemporary mobility patterns shaped by new technologies and global networks. The study explores how migration has evolved from ancient voyaging traditions to modern transnational connectivity, emphasizing hybridity and sustained cultural ties rather than assimilation. By examining shifting theoretical perspectives, the article calls for an updated approach to diaspora studies that better reflects Pacific Islanders' ongoing exchanges between …

You’Ll Always Be Family: Formulating Marshallese Identities In Kona, Hawai‘I, Laurence Marshall Carucci

Pacific Studies

This article examines the challenges faced by Enewetak Marshall Islanders living on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, highlighting their struggle for acceptance in a community where they often feel unwelcome. Despite U.S. President Ronald Reagan's 1985 remarks about their inclusion as "family," Marshall Islanders have encountered ethnic stereotyping and social exclusion. The study traces their displacement history, from World War II upheaval to nuclear testing, and their eventual return to a diminished homeland. Faced with limited resources and deteriorating health, many relocated to Hawai‘i, forming a growing community. The article explores how their identities have evolved in response to negative …

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.

From Famine To Feast: The Give And Take Of Food In A Global Subsistence Environment, Laurence M. Carucci

Pacific Studies

Food is the primary transactional substance for Enewetak/Ujelang people [Republic of the Marshall Islands] and its production, preparation, consumption and exchange are central to how local people fashion and maintain social relationships and how they construct identities. At the same time, while the constitutive properties of food have remained culturally vigorous, the foods themselves have changed radically under colonialism. In particular, rehabilitation attempts in the post-nuclear testing era on Enewetak introduced extraordinary rapid dietary changes in the community and resulted in the onset of an epidemic of sedentary illnesses. The social practices that relate to food production and consumption are …

Late-Pleistocene And Holocene Obsidian Transfer In The Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, Matthew C. Leavesley, Caroline Read

Pacific Studies

Obsidian analysis allows for archaeologists to investigate notions of trade and exchange over vast areas of land and sea. Here we report the results of Particle Induced X-ray Emission-Particle Induced Gamma-Ray Emission analysis undertaken on obsidian excavated from Buang Merabak, a Pleistocene cave site in central New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Although the dataset is relatively small, it provides new information reflecting cultural connectivity as early as 20,000 (uncalib) bp. Also, it provides a valuable opportunity to re-evaluate some pre-existing models of trade and exchange. The data support the notion that there may have been more than one trade/exchange network …

Review: Manulani Aluli Meyer, Ho'oulu: Our Time Of Becoming: Hawaiian Epistemology And Early Writings, David W. Gegeo

Pacific Studies

Manulani Aluli Meyer. Ho'oulu: Our Time of Becoming: Hawaiian Epistemology and Early Writings. 1st ed. Honolulu: 'Ai Pohaku Press; Native Books, 2003. Pp. 236. ISBN 1883528240. US$18.95 paper.

Reviewed by David W. Gegeo, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Vol. 34 No. 1 (2011): Pacific Studies Front Matter, Laurence M. Carucci Et Al

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 34, No 1-April 2024 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Books Noted: Recent Pacific Island Publications: Selected Acquisitions July 2010-December 2010, Riley M. Moffat

Pacific Studies

THIS LIST of significant publications relating to the Pacific Islands was selected from new acquisitions lists received from Brigham Young University-Hawai'i, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, University of Auckland, East-West Center, University of the South Pacific, National Library of Australia, Melanesian Studies Resource Center, Center for Pacific and Asian Studies, University of Nijmegen, University of California San Diego, Secretariat of the Pacific Community Library, Center for South Pacific Studies, University of New South Wales, Macmillan Brown Library at University of Canterbury, and the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau's Center for the Pacific Development Training. Other libraries …

Books Noted: Recent Pacific Island Publications: Selected Acquisitions January 2010-June 2010, Riley M. Moffat

Pacific Studies

THIS LIST OF SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS relating to the Pacific Islands was selected from new acquisitions lists received from Brigham Young University-Hawai'i, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, University of Auckland, East-West Center, University of the South Pacific, National Library of Australia, Melanesian Studies Resource Center, Center for Pacific and Asian Studies, University of Nijmegen, University of California San Diego, Secretariat of the Pacific Community Library, Center for South Pacific Studies, University of New South Wales, Macmillan Brown Library at University of Canterbury, and the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau's Center for the Pacific Development Training. Other libraries …

Vol. 34 No. 1 (2011): Pacific Studies Full Issue, Laurence M. Carucci Et Al

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, …

Monetization And Tradition: Cash And Conciliation In Contemporary Samoa, Cluny Macpherson, LaʻAvasa Macpherson

Pacific Studies

This article explores the evolving role of cash in Samoan ceremonial traditions, where it is increasingly used alongside or in place of traditional symbolic goods. While the integration of cash into ceremonies has been relatively seamless, its use in more culturally sensitive rituals has proven problematic. The paper examines how these changes challenge the traditional social variables of contemporary Samoa.

Genealogies: Articulating Indigenous Anthropology In/Of Oceania, Ty P. Kāwika Tengan, Tēvita O. Ka‘Ili, Rochelle Tuitagava‘A Fonoti

Pacific Studies

Introduction article to Volume 33 Issue 2/3 Special Edition on genealogies.

Tā, Vā , And Moana: Temporality, Spatiality, And Indigeneity, Hūfanga ‘Okusitino Māhina

Pacific Studies

This article explores how indigenous perspectives—specifically from the Moana—can reshape the way anthropology is practiced and understood. A key focus is on genealogy, not just as family lineage, but as a powerful tool for understanding how people, places, and histories are connected across time and space. The article argues that genealogy in Moana cultures is deeply philosophical and relational, helping to explain how individuals and communities locate themselves within broader social and natural worlds. This approach is grounded in the Moana concepts of tā (time) and vā (space).

Indigenous Anthropology And The Kava Myth In Manu’A, Unasa Leulu Felise Va’A

Pacific Studies

This article explores how genealogy, indigenous anthropology, positionality, and mythology, shape the understanding of cultural values, beliefs, and practices within Samoan society. Focusing on Samoan myths surrounding the origins of kava, the study demonstrates how genealogy serves as a framework for interpreting mythological narratives and cultural identity. The article draws from the author's participation in ASAO sessions on indigenous anthropology and kava, highlighting the importance of culturally grounded approaches in analyzing indigenous knowledge systems.

Teu Le Va: Toward A Native Anthropology, Melani Anae

Pacific Studies

The Samoan word va tapuia, includes the term “tapu,” within. The term literally refers to the sacred (tapu-ia) relationship (va) between man and all things, animate and inanimate. It implies that in our relationships with all things, living and dead, there exists a sacred essence, a life force beyond human reckoning. The distinction here between what is living and what is dead is premised not so much on whether a “life force,” i.e. a mauli or fatu manava exists in the thing (i.e. whether a “life-breath” of “heart beat” exudes from it), but whether that thing, living …

The Interweaving Of People, Time, And Place—Whakapapa As Context And Method, Lily George, Te Kapotai/Ngaapuhi/Paakehaa

Pacific Studies

Set along the Waikare River in Aotearoa, this autoethnographic reflection explores the cultural, genealogical, and epistemological significance of whakapapa in Maori knowledge systems. As an indigenous Maori anthropologist, the author emphasizes that whakapapa not only traces genealogical lineage but also serves as a foundational framework for understanding phenomena, conducting research, and navigating identity within indigenous anthropology. By drawing from traditional cosmology and intergenerational knowledge—including divine origin stories and spiritual relationships with landscape—this introduction positions whakapapa as both method and context in the pursuit of knowledge and cultural survival.

Between Tolerance And Talk: Idiomatic Kinship And Ethnography In The Multiethnic Pacific, Ping-Ann Addo

Pacific Studies

This paper examines the interplay between identity politics and ethnographic practice among indigenous and mixed-race transnational scholars. Using a genealogical framework, the author explores how kinship—formed through fieldwork—shapes solidarity, tension, and the politics of racial categorization within Pacific research communities. The work reflects on personal experiences navigating complex ethnic identities in Tongan society, revealing how cultural perceptions and adopted kinship challenge dominant race frameworks. Ultimately, the study advocates for a more reflexive and dialogic anthropology that centers mutual racialization, layered identity, and political economy as key to understanding and improving ethnographic engagement.

A Different Weight: Tension And Promise In “Indigenous Anthropology”, Fa‘Anofo Lisaclaire Uperesa

Pacific Studies

This article offers a personal reflection on indigenous anthropology through the lens of the author's upbringing and research experiences in American Samoa. Grounded in the complexities of aiga (kinship) and layered genealogies, the work explores how biographical and cultural ties shape research ethics, methods, and accountability when conducting fieldwork at "home." By drawing on her position as a Native Pacific Islander and scholar, the author highlights the transformative possibilities of indigenous knowledge production and the responsibilities of researching within one’s own community.

Collaboration And Capacity Building In The Classroom: A Decolonizing Teaching Agenda To Create A Cadre Of Indigenous Researchers, Holly M. Barker, Rochelle Tuitagava‘A Fonoti

Pacific Studies

This article explores collaborative anthropology as a response to indigenous critiques of outsider research in Oceania. Drawing from the authors' diverse positionalities and their experience teaching Anthropology, the paper reimagines the classroom as a space for co-learning, capacity building, and indigenous empowerment. By integrating participatory methods and traditional collaborative practices of Samoan and Marshallese communities, the study highlights how educational environments can foster sustainable research models and support a growing network of indigenous scholars.

Vol. 33 No. 2/3 (2010): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 33, No 2/3-Aug/Dec 2010 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Vol. 33 No. 2/3 (2010): 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, …

Taangaanga Te Peu Rarotonga-Investigating Rarotongan Core Values, Aue Te Ava

Pacific Studies

This study explored Rarotongan core values that elders in Rarotonga considered might be important for inclusion in a physical education program. To date, there has been no study on Rarotongan core values in physical education. The study of Rarotongan core values will benefit Rarotongan schools in the area of physical education. This will revive some of the cultural traditional practices that have been discouraged. Rarotongan core values will encourage students' participation in physical education. Findings of the study address the needs of a policy that will enhance students' participation in physical education if used in a culturally responsive way.

Book Review Forum: Reverse Anthropology: Lndigenous Analysis Of Social And Environmental Relations In New Guinea, Conservation Is Our Government Now: The Politics Of Ecology In Papua New Guinea, Jamon Halvaksz

Pacific Studies

Kirsch, Stuart. Reverse Anthropology: Indigenous Analysis of Social and Environmental Relations in New Guinea.

West, Paige. Conservation Is Our Government Now: The Politics of Ecology in Papua New Guinea.

Review: JAMON HALVAKSZ

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO

Book Review Forum Response: Reverse Anthropology Redux, Stuart Kirsch

Pacific Studies

Kirsch, Stuart. Reverse Anthropology: Indigenous Analysis of Social and Environmental Relations in New Guinea.

West, Paige. Conservation Is Our Government Now: The Politics of Ecology in Papua New Guinea.

RESPONSE: STUART KIRSCH

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Book Review Forum: Remapping New Guinea, Joe Bryan

Pacific Studies

Kirsch, Stuart. Reverse Anthropology: Indigenous Analysis of Social and Environmental Relations in New Guinea.

West, Paige. Conservation Is Our Government Now: The Politics of Ecology in Papua New Guinea.

Review: JOE BRYAN

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER

Vol. 33 No. 1 (2010): 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, …