Pacific Islands Languages and Societies Commons^™

Loto, Tu‘A, Moe Fale: Inside, Outside, And House, Tavakefai‘Ana, Sēmisi Fetokai Potauaine, Bruce Sione To‘A Moa, Sione Lavenita Vaka, Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu, ‘Ōkusitino Māhina

Pacific Studies

We focus in this critical essay on the Tongan fale house in terms of both its loto internality and tu‘a externality, in which the parts and the whole are combined by means of process and outcome, with a multiplicity of faiva performance, tufunga material, and nimamea‘a fine arts. The house and house-building are categorized as a material artwork and material art, respectively, and are associated with the material arts of: tufunga lalava kafa-sennit-lashing which is a form of interior design, tufunga tō‘akau kakala sweet-smelling-flower-planting, tufunga tō‘akaufaito‘o medicinal-plant-planting, and tufunga tō‘akaukai eating-plant-planting as types of tu‘a exterior design. Although these fine …

Lofia, Koe Kumi Tu‘I: The Search For A King – A Sung And Danced Poetry Of Tragedy, Pā‘Utu-‘O-Vava‘U-Lahi, Adriana M. Lear, Sione L. Vaka, Maui-Tāvā-He-Akó, Tēvita O. Ka‘Ili, Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu, ‘Ōkusitino Māhina

Pacific Studies

We examine in this critical essay a sung and danced poetry of tragedy by Kaliopasi Fe‘iloakitau Kaho about the people of Ha‘apai leaving for Tongatapu in search for their king Tāufa‘āhau. By making good use of the three types of heliaki, “metaphorically saying one thing but historically meaning another,” he talks about the deep sadness of the people of Ha‘apai, in thinking and feeling they have been deserted, promoting them to leave in search of their most beloved. Out of both frustration and desperation, they were determined and committed to embark on their mission, using whatever means and irrespective of …

Vol. 44 No. 1/2 (2021): 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 …

Sio Fakatonga ‘Ae ‘Aati Fakatonga: Tongan Views Of Tongan Arts, Pā‘Utu-‘O-Vava‘U-Lahi, Adriana M. Lear, Manuesina ‘Ofakihautolo Māhina, Kolokesa Uafā Māhina-Tuai, Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu, ‘Ōkusitino Māhina

Pacific Studies

As inherent in the title of this essay, we present a critical exercise in viewing Tongan arts from a Tongan lens by combining ontology and epistemology in both process and outcome. By ontology and epistemology, reference is made to ways of being as subject matters of creation and ways of knowing (or seeing and doing) as works of art and literature. The latter engages in the abstraction of the single level of reality with respect to the subject matters in both the creative and the consumptive processes, whether they be faiva performance, tufunga material, or nimamea‘a fine arts. Herein, we …

‘Atamai-Loto, Moe Faka‘Ofo‘Ofa-‘Aonga: Tongan Tā-Vā Time-Space Philosophy Of Mind–Heart And Beauty–Utility, Pā‘Utu-‘O-Vava‘U-Lahi, Adriana M. Lear, Kolokesa U. Māhina-Tuai, Sione L. Vaka, Maui-Tāvā-He-Akó, Tēvita O. KaʻIli

Pacific Studies

This collection of critical essays seeks to explore as a text some key aspects of Tongan concepts and practices of the sino body, ‘atamai mind, and loto heart, on the one hand, and faiva performance, tufunga material, and nimamea‘a fine arts, on the other hand, in the broader context of Indigenous Tongan Tā-Vā Time-Space Philosophy of Reality. These physical–bodily, psychological–emotional, and social–cultural, and artistic and literary aspects will be reflected upon at the fakafelavai intersection, or fakahoko connection and fakamāvae separation, of ontology (i.e., ways of being) and epistemology (i.e., ways of knowing) and of beauty/quality (i.e., what is of …

Tongan Hoa: Inseparable Yet Indispensable Pairs/ Binaries, Pā‘Utu-‘O-Vava‘U-Lahi, Adriana M. Lear, Kolokesa U. Māhina-Tuai, Sione L. Vaka, Maui-Tāvā-He-Akó, Tēvita O. KaʻIli, Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu, ‘Ōkusitino Māhina

Pacific Studies

We dissect hoaism as a fundamental in Tongan philosophical thinking and feeling that is based in the concept and practice of hoa as inseparable yet indispensable pairs/binaries, with examples taken from across nature, mind, and society. From a tāvāist philosophical perspective, everywhere in reality, as in nature, mind, and society, is intersection, and there is nothing above and beyond connection and separation. This is derived from the general tāvāist fact that all things in reality stand in eternal relations of exchange, giving rise to order and conflict, both having the same logical status, when equal and opposite identities, entities, or …

Sino, ‘Ilo, Moe Ongo: Body, Knowing, And Feeling, Pā‘Utu-‘O-Vava‘U-Lahi, Adriana M. Lear, Kolokesa U. Māhina-Tuai, Sione L. Vaka, Maui-Tāvā-He-Akó, Tēvita O. KaʻIli, Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu, ‘Ōkusitino Māhina

Pacific Studies

This essay critically examines the intersection of sino body, ‘ilo knowing, and ongo feeling. The latter two are considered indivisible tendencies situated in the former, which is, in turn, taken merely as a vaka/hala medium/vessel/vehicle. The authors address examples from Tongan faiva performance arts of ta‘anga poetry, hiva/fasi music, and lea oratory, in which this topic is highly developed and refined, in contrast to academia, where it is largely, if not, entirely unexplored. By drawing on the Indigenous Tongan Tā-Vā Time-Space Philosophy of Reality, the critique is placed in the Indigenous Tongan thinking and practice of ‘atamai mind and mafu/fatu …

Siueli ‘Oe Pasifiki: Jewel Of The Pacific – A Sung Poetry Of Praise And Rivalry, Pā‘Utu-‘O-Vava‘U-Lahi, Adriana Māhanga Lear, Sione Lavenita Vaka, Maui-Tāvā-He-Akó, Tēvita O. KaʻIli, Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu, ‘Ōkusitino Māhina

Pacific Studies

We examine “Siueli ‘oe Pasifiki” “Jewel of the Pacific,” as a great work of art and literature in poetry of viki/sani praise and fetau rivalry, by Queen Sālote, concerning the mediation of human meanings in language through sustained symmetry and harmony in the production of beauty, which, in turn, results in warmth and fieriness in the creation of climatic elation. The mediation of human meanings is achieved by the artistic and literary device heliaki, defined as “metaphorically saying one thing but historically meaning another,” as in her treatment of siueli jewel, as a heliaki metaphor, for Tonga. Queen Sālote’s affective …

Tuaikaepau: “Slow-But-Sure” – A Sung And Danced Poetry Of Tragedy, Pā‘Utu-‘O-Vava‘U-Lahi, Adriana Māhanga Lear, Sione Lavenita Vaka, Maui-Tāvā-He-Akó, Tēvita O. KaʻIli, Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu, ‘Ōkusitino Māhina

Pacific Studies

We critically examine Tuaikaepau “Slow-but-sure” as a sung and danced poetry of tragedy by Queen Sālote, in which she deals with her subject matter of artistic and literary creativity as a text in the broader context of history. Poetry and tragedy are respectively concerned with the mediation of ‘uhinga human meanings, and anga‘i-tangata sociality and anga‘i-manu animality, resulting in fakamā shame. Both poetry and tragedy are conducted in history, treated in Tonga (and Moana Oceania) in plural, temporal–spatial, collectivistic, holistic, and circular ways, as opposed to their treatment in singular, techno–teleological, individualistic, atomistic, and linear modes in the West. History …

Vaka, Fale, Moe Kava: Boat, House, And Kava – Mana Structures, Mana Spaces, Tavakefai‘Ana, Sēmisi Fetokai Potauaine, Bruce Sione To‘A Moa, Sione Lavenita Vaka, Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu, ‘Ōkusitino Māhina

Pacific Studies

Our collective aim in this essay is to critically examine the fakafelavai intersection, or fakahoko connection and fakamāvae separation, of the vaka boat, fale house, and kava in terms of both art work and art use. The vaka boat and fale house are associated with tufunga the material arts of tufunga fo‘uvaka boat-building and tufunga langafale house-building, and kava with faiva the performance art of faiva inukava kava-drinking; all bearing immense material–physical, psychological–emotional, and social–cultural significance. All three are variously associated with the ceremonial as tapu structures and places possessing mana power and ivi energy of great potupotutatau harmony and …

Faiva Lova‘A‘Alo: Performance Art Of Rowing, Pā‘Utu-‘O-Vava‘U-Lahi, Adriana Māhanga Lear, Maui-Tāvā-He-Akó, Tēvita O. Ka‘Ili, Hūfanga-He-Ako-Moe-Lotu, ‘Ōkusitino Māhina

Pacific Studies

As authors, we critique the performance art of faiva lova‘a‘alo rowing, which lies in proximity to the performance arts of faiva lovavaka boat-racing, faiva kakau swimming, faiva uku diving, and faiva fānifo surfing, specifically, and faiva faifolau voyaging, faiva toutaivaka navigation, and faiva toutaiika deep-sea fishing and shallow-sea fishing, generally. The latter two, viz., deep-sea fishing and shallow-sea fishing, are known as faiva toutailoloto and faiva toutaimamaha, respectively. All the faiva faifolau, faiva toutaiika, faiva toutailoloto, and faiva toutaimamaha belong in the ha‘a toutai professional class of long-distance navigators and both deep-sea and shallow-sea fishermen. The performance art of rowing, …

Vol. 44 No. 1/2 (2021): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 44, No 1/2-Oct 2021 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Puhi In The Tree And Other Stories: Unlocking The Metaphor In Native And Indigenous Hawaiian Storytelling, Renuka M. De Silva, Joshua E. Hunter

The Qualitative Report

Human beings live and tell stories for many reasons, and it is a way to not only understand one another but to give a time and place to events and experiences. Therefore, a narrational approach within the context of this research offers a frame of reference and a way to reflect during the entire process of gathering data and writing. This study examines the importance of storytelling among Native (Kānaka ‘Ōiwi) and Indigenous (Kānaka Maoli) women of Hawai ̒ i and their interconnectedness to land and spirituality through accessing [k]new knowledge. The main focus of this article is to illustrate …

Sovereignty, Statehood, And Subjugation: Native Hawaiian And Japanese American Discourse Over Hawaiian Statehood, Nicole Saito

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Although discourse over Hawaiian statehood has increasingly been described by scholars as a racial conflict between Japanese Americans and Native Hawaiians, there existed a broad spectrum of interactions between the two groups. Both communities were forced to confront the prejudices they had against each other while recognizing their shared experiences with discrimination, creating a paradoxical political culture of competition and solidarity up until the conclusion of World War Two. From 1946 to 1950, however, the country’s collective understanding of Japanese American citizenship began to shift with recognition of the community’s military service record and an increased proportion of veterans elected …

Mauna Kea: Where The Cosmos Meet Settler Colonialism, Maria Encinosa

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

International Research Symposium Exhibitor and Honorable Mention Abstract:

The proposed construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on Mauna Kea has sparked protests given the sacredness of the mountain to the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians). The narratives that have arisen reignite familiar tropes, framing the conflict as one between indigenous religion and scientific progress. I deconstruct these narratives through an analysis of TMT International Observatory (TIO) affiliated websites paired with insights from secondary sources. Ultimately, I argue the TIO’s response and presentation of Ho’Omana Hawai’i religious views and ‘modern’ astronomy as antagonists extend settler-colonialist interests.

3rd Place Contest Entry: Sovereignty, Statehood, And Subjugation: Native Hawaiian And Japanese American Discourse Over Hawaiian Statehood, Nicole Saito

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

This is Nicole Saito's submission for the 2021 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won first place. It contains her essay on using library resources, a three-page sample of her research project on the consequences that Japanese American advocacy for Hawaiian statehood had on Native Hawaiians, and her works cited list.

Nicole is a junior at Chapman University, majoring in Political Science, History, and Economics. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Robert Slayton.

Asian American And Pacific Islander Presidential Fellows Report, Betty T. Izumi, Bree Kalima

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since the 2010 Census, Oregon’s Asian American population has grown by 42.3% and its Pacific Islander population has grown by 57.3%, making these groups the fastest growing in the state (US Census Bureau, 2019; US Census Bureau, 2020a). In the Portland metropolitan area, these populations experienced a growth of 42.1% and 64.7%, respectively (US Census Bureau, 2019; US Census Bureau, 2020a). Although Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are often lumped together as a monolith, they differ from each other in ethnicity and also culture, politics, socioeconomic status, language, religion, immigration status, and migration and colonization histories. Given the history …

This Is The Way We Rise, Michele M. Desmarais

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a review of the short film, This Is the Way We Rise (2019), directed by Ciara Lacy.

The Past As "Ahead": A Circular History Of Modern Chamorro Activism, Gabby Lupola

Pomona Senior Theses

This is not a traditional thesis of the Pomona College History Department. Spanning over a century from start to finish, this work tracks the history of Guam’s political status from 1898 to 2021. To support such a lengthy timeline, snapshots of key events and trends are recounted each chapter. Chapter 1 focuses on the Spanish-American War and the local struggle for acting governorship. Chapter 2 documents the impact of World War II, the Organic Act of Guam, modernization and early Chamorro activism on island. Chapter 3 depicts the evolution of late 20^th century Chamorro activism through a model of …

Vol. 43 No. 2 (2020): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 43, No 2-Dec 2020 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Naming The Cook Islands: Articulation Theory And ‘Akapapa‘Anga, Emma Ngakuraevaru Powell

Pacific Studies

The Cook Islands has existed as a formal polity for roughly one hundred years. There is no antecedent Māori name for this nation. Referencing the explorer Captain James Cook, it has been the nation’s primary identifier since the late nineteenth century despite the nation comprising fifteen islands and various and distinct cultural genealogies prior to European arrival. In this article, I ask how might we effectively describe the formation of the Cook Islands’ national identity and understand its name given its underlying genealogical and cultural diversity. In asking this question, I consider the utility of cultural studies’ articulation theory for …

“Taiwan’S Ally Tuvalu To Soon Become A Water World”: Language, Place, And Taiwan’S Popular Discourse On Tuvalu, Jess Marinaccio

Pacific Studies

Carol Farbotko has argued that the “islands of Tuvalu, largely absent from Eurocentric imaginings of the Pacific region, have become meaningful spaces in cosmopolitan discourses only as they disappear” (Farbotko 2010, Wishful Sinking: Disappearing Islands, Climate Refugees and Cosmopolitan Experimentation; Asia Pacific Viewpoint 51 (1): 47–60). Similarly, although Tuvalu is more present in Taiwan because it is one of Taiwan’s few diplomatic allies, Tuvalu has also become more significant in Taiwanese discourse with increased coverage of climate change. However, whereas in the West, Tuvalu and climate change are mainly linked to (often self-serving) environmentalist narratives, in Taiwan, Tuvalu and climate …

A Response To Marinaccio’S “Language, Place, And Taiwan’S Popular Discourse On Tuvalu”, Niuone Eliuta

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Love Of Place: Toward A Critical Pacific Studies Pedagogy, Emalani Case

Pacific Studies

Growing up in Hawaiʻi, I was raised with aloha ʻāina. Loosely defined as “love of place,” aloha ʻāina is a way of being in and with the world. It is built on relationship and stewardship. In this article, I will use aloha ʻāina to reflect on my role as a Pacific studies teacher and on what responsibilities educators may have to confront our common challenge and most dire threat: the destruction of the natural environment. I will articulate “love of place” to a critical Pacific studies pedagogy, one that addresses environmental issues, contributes to the well-being of the Pacific (people, …

Redefining Gendered Spaces: The Case Of The Indofijian Female Qawwal, Vicky V. Shandil

Pacific Studies

Qawwali, an IndoFijian musical performance, links directly to first generation Indian indentured laborers brought to Fiji by British colonizers between 1874 and 1916. The form of qawwali considered in this paper is performed as a challenge between two vocalists both assisted by musical ensembles, respectively. Firstly, this paper describes IndoFijian qawwali and its connections to South Asia and then pays attention to IndoFijian identity because the female qawwal’s ethnic identity precedes her performance-based identity. Through Qawwali female performers created a new public identity, that of a female qawwal. This transpired through the inclusion of females on a stage traditionally exclusive …

Vol. 43 No. 2 (2020): 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 Efficacy Of Political Apology Within A Settler-Colonial Framework, Hannah M. Bauer

Senior Theses

Government apologies issued for American settler-colonialism, instances of mis-racialization, and instances of misrepresentation of Native American peoples – such as the joint resolutions passed by President Clinton and the 103^rd Congress and President Obama and the 111^th Congress – reflect the strategies used to justify the United States’ removal and assimilation policies. These same strategies are evident in the ways which historic and modern media representations transform Native Americans into a monolithic racial ‘other.’ Trump’s evocation of “Pocahontas” as a racial slur and Warren’s participation in a DNA test during Donald Trump and Elizabeth Warren’s debate over Warren’s …

Desegregation Through Entertainment: Rodgers And Hammerstein’S South Pacific As An Instrument Of Military Policy, Leana Sottile

Voces Novae

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific became a staple of mainstream popular culture. However, the musical also served a specific function within the American military where its usage by the United Service Organizations and Department of Defense was widespread. This case study examines how South Pacific arguably served a way to ease the blow of desegregation on the military by other means, in this case, entertainment. This was achieved by combining the show’s progressive views on racial tolerance with the prevalent wartime nostalgia and romanticism in the piece. All of …

“Oceania Is Us:” An Intimate Portrait Of Chamoru Identity And Transpacific Solidarity In From Unincorporated Territory: [Lukao], Maressa Park

The Criterion

Guåhan’s history of Spanish colonization and inflicted genocide, Japanese occupancy, and American militarization poses profound effects on CHamoru land, rights, physical health, and language survival. These include instances of “celebration colonialism” such as Liberation Day, in which CHamorus celebrate the date that the United States dropped 124 tons of bombs on Guåhan to liberate them from the Japanese ([lukao] 44). Through an analysis of his 2017 anthology from unincorporated territory: [lukao], this essay examines how Dr. Craig Santos Perez casts light on the complex inheritance of native CHamorus via an intimate portrait of diasporic CHamoru identity. Furthermore, I argue that …

Mai Te Kopu O Te Wahine: Considering Maori Women And Power, Ngahuia Te Awekotuku

Pacific Studies

Moko kauae: female Maori facial tattoo. This is the subtle power of maintaining a femininity that offends, that endures, that persists in the face of the settlers’ and invaders’ descendants; threatens sensibility and comfort levels; and continues to fascinate and challenge, charm and repel. Whether or not they were aware doing this, the elderly women who continued to inscribe their faces into the final decades of the past century and wear their identity and heritage with pride, were effectively confronting the colonizer and saying, we are here, and we will never ever go away. My face may make you uncomfortable, …