Anthropology Commons^™

Anthropophagi In New-York And Other Voyagers, Maria Lepowsky

Pacific Studies

This chapter continues the exploration of maritime cultures of contact by following the post-shipwreck adventures of voyagers in the Pacific in the nineteenth century. The chapter also examines the literary and cultural afterlives of Pacific travel narratives, particularly those of Benjamin Morrell and Thomas Jacobs, whose depictions of islanders influenced canonical works by Poe and Melville. These narratives reveal the contradictory perceptions American sailors held of Pacific peoples—ranging from “cannibal savages” to noble and intelligent individuals—and the enduring tropes of the “noble savage” and “civilized native.” By tracing these voyages and representations, the chapter highlights the early emergence of a …

Imagining The Marshall Islands, Laurence M. Carucci

Pacific Studies

As anthropologists have developed a more critical eye, earlier assumptions about the privileged position of anthropological texts have been dismissed as elitist, self-serving, and paternalistic. Perhaps James Clifford was the first to recognize the limitations of such possessiveness toward these imagined others, but his call for a broader view has been taken up by many in the field. Here, I consider the images of three interlopers, none of them anthropologists, as they each, in separate historical contexts and different positional circumstances, come to imagine Marshall Islanders as certain types of others. A consideration of these accounts reveals a good deal …

Oh, Those Poor Islanders And Threats To An Idyllic Life On A Beautiful Island!, Juliana Flinn

Pacific Studies

This essay examines the representation of Pollap, a Micronesian atoll, in popular media and internet sources, highlighting the contrast between anthropological perspectives and public portrayals. While scholars emphasize indigenous agency and the adaptive use of external influences, popular media—ranging from Peace Corps blogs to disaster reports—often depict islanders through romanticized or victimized lenses. These portrayals reflect more about Western cultural fantasies and assumptions than about the lived realities of Pollapese people. Romantic narratives emphasize idyllic simplicity and harmony with nature, while disaster coverage frames islanders as helpless and dependent on external aid. Notably absent are accounts of local responses or …

Vol. 38 No. 1/2 (2015): 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 …

From Romance To Reality: An Epilogue, Niko Besnier

Pacific Studies

This epilogue reflects on the political nature of representation, particularly in the context of the Pacific Islands, where images and narratives have long been shaped by colonial encounters and global media. Drawing on historical and contemporary examples—from Enlightenment-era voyages to modern climate change discourse—the essay highlights how Pacific Islanders have both been subjects of external representations and active participants in shaping their own identities.

Vol. 38 No. 1/2 (2015): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 38, No 1/2-Aug 2015 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Reclaiming Paradise: Cinema And Hawaiian Nationhood, Judith Schachter

Pacific Studies

This essay explores the enduring power of the “paradise” trope in cinematic portrayals of Hawai‘i and its evolving role in articulating Native Hawaiian nationhood. While Western media has long romanticized Hawai‘i through idyllic imagery of natural beauty and sensuality, contemporary indigenous filmmakers have begun to reclaim and repurpose these visual conventions. Rather than marking a shift from fantasy to realism, these films strategically reframe romantic imagery to assert cultural autonomy, political sovereignty, and a renewed relationship to the land (‘āina). Through analysis of both outsider and insider productions, the essay reveals how visual narratives critique colonial histories and resist hegemonic …

From Colonial Pomp To Tourism Reality: Commodification And Cannibalization Of The Fijian Firewalking Ceremony, Guido Carlo Pigliasco

Pacific Studies

In 1935 the rite [firewalking] was performed before two members of the British Medical Association. The eminent doctors examined the men carefully before and after the ceremony. . . . The men of Mbengga [sic], not knowing of these learned disputations, unconcernedly carry on the strange custom of their ancestors (Luis Marden, National Geographic, October 1958: 560–61).

The Fijians had another way of disposing of the bodies. They ate them. . . . This was a culture devoted to killing, and when there wasn’t an enemy around to meet their needs, chiefs took to killing the commoners among them …

Masculinities, Militarism, And The Construction Of Gender In Contemporary Fiji: Performances Of Parody And Subversion As Feminist Resistance, Tui Nicola Clery

Pacific Studies

This article explores the historical and cultural construction of militarism and masculinity in Fiji. It argues that gendered identities are not fixed but are performed and shaped through embodied actions, discourse, and social relationships. Central to this analysis is the enduring significance of the warrior figure in indigenous Fijian epistemology and how this ideal has influenced contemporary masculinities. The paper also examines how indigenous Fijian masculinities have been constructed in contrast to those of the Fiji-Indian population, particularly during periods of conflict, revealing the complex interplay between gender, ethnicity, and militarism in Fijian society.

Mahimahi Musubi: Cosmopolitanizing Strategies In Hawaiian Regional Cuisine, Benjamin Burroughs, W. Jeffrey Burroughs

Pacific Studies

Hawaiian Regional Cuisine (HRC) is an haute cuisine that uses high quality island-grown foods in combination with local ethnic flavors and global techniques to form what we term an "engineered cosmopolitan cuisine." This intentionally developed regional cuisine is analyzed through the work of three chefs who are noted practitioners of HRC. Linking the backgrounds of these chefs with their recipes examines the impact of global cultural flows on the production of cosmopolitan cuisine. A number of "cosmopolitanizing strategies" are interrogated that position HRC concurrently within multiple registers: global, regional, and local. Examples of these crosscutting strategies include disruption, performance, and …

"Heavy Words And Important Silences": Kwara'ae Children Learning The Indigenous Epistemology Of Willingness And Rank, Karen Ann Watson-Gegeo, David Welchman Gegeo

Pacific Studies

Over the past three decades, there has been a growing scholarly interest in indigenous epistemology, methodology, and pedagogy. This article examines how Kwara'ae parents in the Solomon Islands engage in the direct teaching and modeling of indigenous epistemological strategies through formal counseling sessions known as fa'amanata'anga. Drawing on sociocultural education theory and Kwara'ae indigenous knowledge frameworks, the research highlights how these sessions serve as dynamic sites for the enactment and transmission of social ontology and cultural values, emphasizing the lifelong nature of indigenous learning practices.

Vol. 37 No. 3 (2014): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 37, No 3-Dec 2014 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Vol. 37 No. 3 (2014): 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 $26.00 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, …

Books Noted: Recent Pacific Island Publications Selected Acquisitions July 2013-December 2013, 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 ew 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 are …

Book Review Forum: Glenn Petersen, Traditional Micronesian Societies: Adaptation, Integration, And Political Organization, Glenn Petersen

Pacific Studies

Response: GLENN PETERSEN

PROFESSOR AND CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY, BARUCH COLLEGE, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

Vol. 37 No. 2 (2014): 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 $26.00 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, …

Book Review Forum: Glenn Petersen, Traditional Micronesian Societies: Adaptation, Integration, And Political Organization, Nancy J. Pollock

Pacific Studies

Glenn Petersen. Traditional Micronesian Societies: Adaptation, Integration, and Political Organization. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2009. Pp. 288. ISBN: 978-0-8248-3248-3. US$42.00 cloth.

Review: NANCY J . POLLOCK

RESEARCHER, VICTORIA UNIVERSITY (RETIRED )

Vol. 37 No. 2 (2014): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 37, No 2-Aug 2014 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Book Review Forum: Glenn Petersen, Traditional Micronesian Societies: Adaptation, Integration, And Political Organization, Karen L. Nero

Pacific Studies

Glenn Petersen. Traditional Micronesian Societies: Adaptation, Integration, and Political Organization. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2009. Pp. 288. ISBN: 978-0-8248-3248-3. US$42.00 cloth.

Review: KAREN L . NERO

UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO

Book Review Forum: Glenn Petersen, Traditional Micronesian Societies: Adaptation, Integration, And Political Organization, Laurence Marshall Carucci

Pacific Studies

Glenn Petersen. Traditional Micronesian Societies: Adaptation, Integration, and Political Organization. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2009. Pp. 288. ISBN: 978-0-8248-3248-3. US$42.00 cloth.

Review: LAURENCE MARSHALL CARUCCI

PROFESSOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY, MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY

Film Review: Breadfruit And Open Spaces. Featuring The Members Of The United Pacific Islanders Corporation And Dr. Lola Quan-Bautista, Rosalind "Rose" Meno Ram

Pacific Studies

Breadfruit and Open Spaces. 30 minutes, 59 seconds. Featuring the members of the United Pacific Islanders Corporation and Dr. Lola Quan-Bautista.

Film review by Rosalind "Rose" Meno Ram, Brigham Young University Hawai'i

Books Noted: Recent Pacific Island Publications: Selected Acquisitions, January 2013-July 2013, 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-Hawaii, University of Hawaii 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 are …

Pedagogical Promise, Disciplinary Practice, And The Fashioning Of Identities Among Marshallese Youth In Primary School, Laurence Marshall Carucci

Pacific Studies

This paper examines the educational experiences of elementary grade students from the Ujelang/Enewetak community across two distinct periods and locations: those residing on Ujelang Atoll in the 1970s and those living in Hawai‘i in 2002–2003. These children belong to a community that has endured profound historical trauma and rapid social transformation, while maintaining a strong commitment to preserving its cultural and historical identity. The study situates the community within the broader context of colonial and postcolonial displacement, highlighting the devastating impact of World War II and U.S. nuclear testing on Enewetak. It explores how these historical events have shaped migration …

Vol. 36 No. 3 (2013): 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 $26.00 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, …

Exile And Compassion: The Management Of Leprosy In The Cook Islands, 1925-95, Raeburn Lange

Pacific Studies

After its introduction to the northern Cook Islands in the nineteenth century, leprosy (Hansen's disease) gradually spread throughout the group and became a public health problem. This article traces the history of the disease and its management from the time when the colonial government ceased to rely only on the isolation of leprosy sufferers on islets with in the Cook group and began to supplement its internal control measures by sending many of the patients to Makogai in Fiji. The authorities' changing approaches to the control of leprosy in the group throughout the period are examined as a way of …

Vol. 36 No. 3 (2013): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 36, No 3-Dec 2013 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

On Spanish Loanwords And Loanblends In Hawal'i Creole English, Robert N. Smead

Pacific Studies

Hawai'i Creole English (HCE) has been the object of much linguistic research. Virtually all researchers agree that its principal lexical sources include English, Hawaiian, and Japanese. Other languages, such as Chinese and Portuguese, have also contributed. To elate, however, few sources have considered Spanish as an important lexical source for HCE. The research reported herein attempts to remedy that oversight by considering ten putative loanwords and loanblends thought to derive from Spanish. These include ethnic markers associated with and local dishes brought by Filipino and Puerto Rican immigrants in the early twentieth century. By documenting cultural traditions and consulting authoritative …

Protecting And Promoting Traditional Knowledge: A Tool For Economic Development In The Pacific, Douveri Mavaru Henao

Pacific Studies

With dwindling natural resource receipts for pacific government coffers, developing alternative revenue sources and economic activities is paramount. One sector that may provide sustainable revenue flows, a high participation rate of Pacific Islanders, and stable market demand is the utilization of the traditional knowledge (TK) sector. Significant challenges remain in establishing a stable and predictable policy and legal framework in which operators can confidently commercialize TK products. However, as will be seen in this paper, governments in the Pacific have taken the bold step to do this, which proves that there are opportunities beyond fish, rocks, and timber in Oceana.

Challenges Of Copyright Laws For Education In A Fiji University, Shareeni Kala, Ruwani Somaratne

Pacific Studies

Globalization poses new questions regarding the relation between copyright law and education. In an Information Communication Technology (lCT) environment, a key issue is how education can best benefit from the educational resources available while still observing laws such as copyright. Changing trends and the digitalization of resources has added new challenges in the area of education, especially in the Pacific Island Countries. The use of Internet search, online database, and electronic resources has grown with the advancement of these technologies. This paper illustrates some of the challenges that exist in smaller nations such as Fiji, by reporting on some empirical …

Regulation Of Access To Genetic Resources And Associated Traditional Knowledge: Approaches And Challenges In The South Pacific, Yuri Suzuki

Pacific Studies

Regulatory frameworks regarding access to genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge (TK) with access and fair and equitable benefit sharing (ABS) are of international significance because of their social, economic, and cultural implications for local communities in general and the South Pacific countries in particular. This has led to development of an international regime specifically addressing ABS and to regional and national initiatives in countries including Vanuatu. The main aim of this paper is to examine the current position of regulatory frameworks that address the issue of access to genetic resources and associated TK in Vanuatu. This paper will highlight …