No. 1 January-March 2006
CONTENTS
Documenting the Tokelauan Language
Aumua Mataitusi Simanu Papalii Celebrates at 85
Pacific Studies Developments Around the Region
The Songmaker's Chair Debuts in Hawai‘i
Occasional Seminars and Presentations
Students at UH Hilo and USP Collaborate on Publication
Publications, Moving Images, and CDs
DOCUMENTING THE TOKELAUAN LANGUAGE
|
| Betty Ickes, a Tokelauan community member and UHM history doctoral student, and Zoe Madden-Wood, a linguistics graduate student, collaborate on the Tokelauan dictionary project. Photo by Lisa Ebeling. |
The Tokelauan community
has been concerned for some time about how they can keep Tokelauan alive for
their children. Recognizing that a people’s identity is intimately tied to its
language and culture, the surviving Tokelau elders cite language decline as the
cause of a host of social problems affecting their community. In response to these concerns, the
extended-clan-based community of approximately 500 living in Central O‘ahu, through
their nonprofit organization, Te Taki-Tokelau Community, Inc (Te Taki),
developed a long-term strategic plan to pursue the community’s mission—“to
perpetuate the language and culture of Tokelau; and to improve the economic and
social welfare of the Tokelau people residing in the United States.”
When Ickes approached linguistics assistant professor (and Center for Pacific Islands Studies affiliate faculty member) Yuko Otsuka, a Tongan-language expert, she found a willing collaborator. The Tokelau community was able to get a grant from the US Administration for Native Americans and enlist the help of Otsuka and her colleague in linguistics Andrew Wong in designing a language assessment survey to collect data on language use, proficiency, and attitudes toward the Tokelauan language. The Tokelauan surveyors hope to survey 80% or more of the approximately 500 community members by August 2006.
The LDC is helping
Tokelauans with three major projects. The first is a project to digitize the
existing Tokelauan dictionary and put it online. To assist with this project,
Ickes regularly attends the LDC Saturday workshops to learn to use the Summer
Institute of Linguistics dictionary software Toolbox, which will enable her to
train members of the Tokelau community to do the digitizing. The other two
projects involve the creation of children’s dictionaries—a picture dictionary
and a reference dictionary that will be aimed at children in upper elementary
school. Two graduate students from the Department of Linguistics, Akiemi Glenn
and Katya Jenson, regularly meet with a core group of activists and elders in
the community about developing the children’s dictionaries. The Tokelau
community’s long-term goal is to establish a formal language education
curriculum. Until then, the children and adult students meet every Saturday in
an informal school where their elders and volunteer teachers from the Tokelauan
community use materials adapted from Hawaiian language instruction and the UH
Samoan Language Program.
The Tokelauan language
documentation project is not the first Pacific project with which the LDC has
been involved. Chuukese native speaker and UHM educational technology graduate
student L J Ditus Rayphand worked on the Chuukese Idiom Project, which can be
viewed on the LDC website ling.hawaii.edu/~uhdoc. The project, which
was supported by the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, includes the translation
and explanation of a number of Chuukese idioms, as well as audio pronunciation.
Another, more recent LDC project, a Pingelapese alphabet book, was a
collaboration between Ryoko Hattori, a graduate student in linguistics, and
Billie-Jean Manuel, a native speaker of Pingelapese from Mwalok, Pohnpei, who
received her BA in linguistics. The alphabet book is distributed by the UHM
National Foreign Language Resource Center nflrc.hawaii.edu. Anyone
interested in learning the tools and techniques of language documentation is
welcome to join the training center that LDC runs every semester. For
information, e-mail the LDC at uhdoc@ling.lll.hawaii.edu.
AUMUA MATAITUSI SIMANU PAPALII CELEBRATES AT 85
Aumua was born at Satalo,
Falealili, in Sāmoa, to church ministers Simanu Tuiloma Live of
Sapunaoa and Tilau Talatā‘ina of Sāoluafata. As Aumua recounted, “I believe I was born
to teach” She began teaching at age 21 and was a classroom teacher for 15
years, a school principal for 13 years, and a school inspector for another 13
years. She was educated in Sāmoa and New Zealand and has a diploma in second language teaching from
Victoria University of Wellington and a diploma from the School of Education at
the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. Aumua says she encountered many
challenges in the school system of
Sāmoa, but her record shows that her accomplishments
were many. These accomplishments included being named the first female
principal and first female school inspector in
Sāmoa. In July 2004, she received an honorary master’s
degree from the Amosā o Savavau University in Apia, for work and publications on Samoan
language and culture. Aumua’s publications include The Samoan Word Book (Bess Press) and O
Si Manu a Alii (UH Press and Pasifika Books). Currently in
production are O FāIā Fa‘atūmua, on the origins of Sāmoa’s chiefly classes; a short fiction book; and a book on classical
Samoan games.
How has Aumua been able to
lead such a successful life? She says she attributes her successes to three
gifts from God: honesty, courage, and love. “I present these three things as a
challenge to the young people of Sāmoa in general and my family in particular. I truly believe that it has
been God who instilled in me the values of respect and love of my fellow human
beings, a love of a very long teaching career, and a marvelous family that
continues to bloom and grow in many diverse ways.”
At the UH Mānoa Samoan Language and Culture Program, where she works with her
daughter, Luafata Simanu-Klutz (CPIS MA 2001), and colleagues John Mayer,
Fa‘afetai Lesa, and Fepuleai Vita Tanielu, Aumua continues to work tirelessly
to encourage her students to develop their Samoan language skills, particularly
in the area of Samoan ceremonial speech. She is an inspiration and a source of
optimism for all those who come in contact with her, and we, her colleagues in
Pacific studies, wish her many more years of teaching and writing.
PACIFIC STUDIES DEVELOPMENTS AROUND THE REGION
At
VUW, Associate Professor Tagaloatele Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop has joined the
university as the inaugural head of Va‘aomanu Pasifika, the new Pacific and
Samoan unit there. Va‘aomanu Pasifika, established in July 2005, is an
independent unit that will coordinate Pacific studies and Samoan studies, two
programs that were formerly administered by Te Kawa a Maui, the School of Māori Studies. Va‘aomanu will also have a role in
connecting all staff in other schools and centers whose teaching and research
involves the Pacific. VUW’s commitment to the Pacific began in 1969 with the
introduction of Samoan studies as a unit of study. In 2000, Teresia Teaiwa was
hired to expand on this commitment by developing a Pacific studies
program. According to
Fairbairn-Dunlop, “Our aim at Va‘aomanu Pasifika is to produce Pacific scholars
and researchers who are committed to ensuring our communities have access to
the knowledge and skills they need, if they are to shape with confidence the
future they want for themselves and for their children.” Fairbairn-Dunlop also
plans to consolidate Va‘aomanu Pasifika’s community-based action research and
to foster joint research with Pacific universities and with Te Kawa a Maui.
Building on the groundwork laid by Teresia Teaiwa, the creation of a unit
devoted to Pacific and Samoan studies at VUW increases the Pacific and Samoan
studies teaching capacity, at the same time that it gives these programs
increased autonomy and a higher profile across the university. Designed as an
undergraduate program, Pacific Studies at VUW now has its first two
postgraduate students, including CPIS graduate Lea Lani Kinikini (see Student
and Alumni Activities)!
Developments
at USP focus on the inauguration of a new Pacific Studies Postgraduate Program
in 2006. A search is currently being conducted for a senior lecturer and a
program administrator. The postgraduate diploma and MA program is being offered
by the Pacific Institute of Advanced Studies in Development and Governance,
which includes the Institute of Pacific Studies, long known for its extensive
publishing on the Pacific. The new program, described as “a uniquely Pacific
perspective on contemporary issues in the region” takes over and expands on
many of the activities that were formerly part of IPS, but IPS will retain its
name for the publications program. Associate Professor Elise Huffer is the
acting director of the Institute of Pacific Studies and the Pacific Studies
Program. A starting place for information on the program, including courses, is
the website at www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=piasdg_pacstud_courses.
At
UH Mānoa, the Center for Pacific Islands Studies is in
the midst of planning for a proposed undergraduate major in Pacific studies.
The center currently offers an MA degree as well as a graduate certificate for
students pursuing advanced degrees in other programs (see www.hawaii.edu/cpis).
As a first step in the development of an undergraduate degree, Katerina Teaiwa,
assistant professor at the center, and Lahela Perry and Kali Fermantez,
graduate students in anthropology and geography respectively, are designing an
inaugural lower-level undergraduate course. A workshop on 17–18 February,
hosted by the center and by Keala Losch (MA 1999), Kauka de Silva, and their
colleagues at Kapi‘olani Community College, brought together a working group of
35 faculty, staff, and students to brainstorm on objectives, pedagogy, content,
and resources for this course. The course is currently scheduled to begin in
January 2007. The initial aims are to enhance the Pacific learning experience
for undergraduates at UH Mānoa (Pacific Islander students and non-Pacific
Islander students alike) as well as to begin to address some of the needs of
students in fields such as education, nursing, and social work who require a
better understanding of Pacific Island cultures and peoples. Although there are
a number of courses within various disciplines at UH Mānoa that deal with the Pacific at the undergraduate
level, there is currently no interdisciplinary undergraduate course that gives
the students a broad orientation to the Pacific, including the transnational
character of Pacific societies.
THE SONGMAKER’S CHAIR DEBUTS IN HONOLULU
Theater audiences in Honolulu have been taking advantage of
the opportunity to see the powerful drama The Songmaker’s Chair, by author, poet, artist, and playwright Albert
Wendt. The production by Kumu Kahua Theatre opened on 16 March and will run
through 15 April. Described as a “family drama that recalls classic works of
Western realism, but also incorporates ritual and surreal elements from Samoan
cultural traditions,” the play is captivating the Honolulu community. The excellent cast includes some
newcomers to the stage, including former CPIS student and Samoan language and
literature instructor Luafata Simanu-Klutz (MA 2001) as well as Kumu Kahua
veterans such as Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl and Wil T K Kahele. The Kumu Kahua website at www.kumukahua.org/05songmakermain.html has more about the Honolulu production,
including the program, a viewers’ guide, and an educational guide. The play,
which has been sold-out for a number of performances, is also scheduled for
performances in Maui.
In conjunction with the play, which centers on the Peseola
family in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, two forums have been held,
featuring Albert Wendt, director Dennis Carroll, and humanities scholars. The
first forum explored how the act of migration by Pacific Islanders within the
Pacific has been represented in drama, fiction, poetry, and other artistic
media. The speakers included Luafata Simanu-Klutz, a history doctoral student;
and Caroline Sinavaiana, an associate professor in the UHM Department of
English and a CPIS affiliate faculty member. The second forum focused on the
nature of intra-Pacific migration and the challenges of “transplanted” art. The
speakers for this event included Katerina Teaiwa, assistant professor in the
Center for Pacific Islands Studies, and Robert Sullivan, assistant professor in
the UHM Department of English and a CPIS affiliate faculty member. These
forums, and essays in the viewers’ guide, including an essay by Sa‘iliemanu
Lilomaiava-Doktor (MA 1993), examined important issues that are central to the
play and to the play-going experience. The Center for Pacific Islands Studies
was a cosponsor of the play and the forums.
HEYUM SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION
Applicants
must submit
·
a letter of application that includes a statement
describing academic interests, career goals, need for support, and a plan of
study for the 2006–2007 academic year
·
relevant transcripts of previous academic work
·
three letters of recommendation
Applications are due
on 12 May 2006 and should be sent to Professor David Hanlon,
Director, Center for Pacific Islands Studies, 1890 East-West Road, Moore 215,
Honolulu, HI 96822. For more information see the website at www.hawaii.edu/cpis/academic_programs_6.html.
VISITORS TO THE CENTER
Among the visitors to the center during the
period January through March 2005 were
·
Prof Keith Camacho, Department of History, University
of Guam
·
Prof Elizabeth De Loughrey, Department of English,
Cornell University
·
Prof Peter Hempenstall, Head of Department, Department
of History, University of Canterbury
·
Dr Steffen Hermann, Assistant Curator for Social and
Cultural Anthropology, Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum, Hannover, Germany
·
Fr Francis X Hezel, SJ, Director, Micronesian Seminar,
Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia
·
Prof Edvard Hviding, Head of Department, Department of
Social Anthropology, University of Bergen
·
Prof Margaret Jolly, Director, Gender Relations Project,
Australian National University
·
Prof Sonia Juvik, Geography and Environmental Studies,
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo
·
Anne Marie Kirk, Teleschool, Hawai‘i State Department
of Education, Honolulu, Hawai‘i
·
Dr Rod Lamberts, Deputy Director, Centre for Public
Awareness of Science, Australian National Commission for UNESCO
·
Dr Peter Larmour, State, Society and Governance in
Melanesia Project, Australian National University
·
Prof Karen Nero, Director, Macmillan Brown Centre for
Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury
·
Hone Sadler, Te Wnanga o Waipapa, University of Auckland
·
Eric Steffen, Audio/Visual Specialist, Micronesian
Seminar, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia
·
Tamasailau M Sua‘ali‘i-Sauni, Department of Sociology,
University of Auckland
·
Elsa Veloso, Chief Administrative Assistant,
Micronesian Seminar, Pohnpei, Federated States of
Micronesia.
CENTER OCCASIONAL SEMINARS AND PRESENTATIONS
Tamasailau M Sua‘ali‘i-Sauni, lecturer in the
Department of Sociology, University of Auckland, gave a talk, “Competing
&$145;Spirits of Governing’ and the Management of New Zealand-Based Samoan Youth
Offender Cases,” on 10 January 2006. Sua‘ali‘i-Sauni described the three
spirits of governing—
neoliberal risk management, cultural appropriateness, and faaSamoa—and the intricate and
complex way they interact in the youth justice system in Aotearoa New Zealand.
She argued that knowing how these spirits interact is crucial to developing
models of analysis that can engage in the complexities of governing across
cultural divides. The talk was also sponsored by the EWC Pacific Islands
Development Program and the UHM Department of Anthropology.
In February 2006, the UHM
English Department hosted internationally renowned author Patricia Grace as the
UH Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Liberal Arts. The center cosponsored,
along with other UH Mānoa units, two presentations that featured Ms Grace—a reading on 8
February and a panel discussion, “Indigenizing the Novel in Aotearoa: The Role
of Culture and Identity,” on 9 February. Albert Wendt, Citizens’ Chair in the
UHM Department of English, chaired the latter panel of writers and academics,
who spoke about the impact that Patricia Grace’s writing has had on their
teaching and on their lives. The panel members and audience also posed
questions to Grace, aimed at a deeper understanding of her perspectives on
writing and on the role of culture and identity.
On 16 February 2006,
Margaret Jolly, professor and head of the Gender Relations Centre in the
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University,
gave a talk, “Looking Back: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Jane Campion’s The
Piano.”
In the talk, Jolly reviewed the range of perspectives on, and emotional
responses to, the film The Piano, paying particular attention to the ways
that race, gender, and sexuality featured in analyses of the film in different
parts of the world. The talk was part of the UHM Department of Anthropology
colloquium series and was cosponsored by the Center for Pacific Islands
Studies.
On 22 February 2006, Serge
Tcherkézoff, professor of anthropology and director of the Centre de Recherches
et de Documentation sur l’Océanie, EHESS, Université de Provence, gave a talk,
“Towards an Anthropological Reconsideration of Early Encounters between
Polynesians and Europeans (Sāmoa, Tahiti).” In his talk, Tcherkézoff presented key data that refute
French and English views of Samoan and Tahitian “females offering their favorsž
and offered, instead, a picture of very young girls forcibly presented to
newcomers. The talk was part of the UHM Department of Anthropology colloquium
series and was cosponsored by the Center for Pacific Islands Studies.
Robert Sullivan, assistant
professor in the UHM English Department and CPIS affiliate faculty member, and
Richard Hamasaki, teacher at Kamehameha Schools and CPIS graduate (MA 1989),
were the featured writers, and readers, at “Pacific Writers Connection presents
Two Poets,” an evening reading on 8 March 2006. Sullivan, who recently made a
very successful tour of literary festivals, read from his latest volume of
poetry, Voice Carried My Family, released last year by University of Auckland Press.
Hamasaki read new and old poems from his collections and also read from the
powerful poetry of Wayne Kaumuali‘i Westlake (1947–1984). CPIS was a cosponsor
of the reading, along with the UHM English Department, Mānoa Journal, and the Mānoa Foundation.
FACULTY ACTIVITIES
Vilsoni Hereniko, a professor in CPIS, has
been busy on his sabbatical. In March, he delivered the fourth annual George
Kneller Lecture at the Comparative International Education Society conference
in Honolulu. His talk was titled Indigenous Pacific Islanders in Contemporary
Film.ž In February and March he traveled to Beijing where he spent two weeks
observing well-known Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern,
House of Flying Daggers) directing his latest film, House of the
Golden Armor. Currently, Hereniko is a visiting professor at the University of
Washington, where he is teaching a course titled Representations of Pacific
Islanders in Film and Literaturež to 45 enthusiastic students.
Hereniko’s film The Land
Has Eyes opened the fifth Native Voices Film Festival, held at the University
of Washington, 6–8 April 2006. It has been invited to be in competition at the
Indianapolis Film Festival, 26 April–4 May 2006, and it will screen at the “Vaka
Vuku—Pacific Epistemologies Conferencež in Suva, Fiji, 2–7 July 2006. At “Vaka
Vuku,” Hereniko will be on a panel with filmmakers Sima Urale, Toa Fraser, and
Gary Kildea. The Land Has Eyes will be shown nationally in the United
States on PBS Plus on 1 May 2006. Check your local listings for air times.
In January of this year,
Katerina Teaiwa, an assistant professor in CPIS, gave a keynote address on the
importance of the performing arts to Pacific studies, at the inaugural
conference of the Australian Association for the Advancement of Pacific Studies
at the Queensland University of Technology. She also gave a talk on
interdisciplinary approaches to Pacific studies and her research on phosphate
mining on Banaba as part of the "Asia-Pacific Week" events at the
Australian National University in Canberra.
Jon Osorio, associate
professor and director of the Center for Hawaiian Studies, has a review article
titled “Living in Archives and Dreams: The Histories of Kuykendall and Daws,”
in Texts and Contexts: Reflections in Pacific Islands Historiography (2006), edited by
Doug Munro and Brij V Lal.
Ty Kāwika Tengan, assistant professor of ethnic studies and anthropology,
recently published Unsettling Ethnography: Tales of an āOiwi in the
Anthropological Slot,ž in Critical Ethnography in the Pacific:
Transformations in Pacific Moral Orders, a special issue of Anthropological
Forum
(15:3), edited by Michele D Dominy and Laurence M Carucci.
Terry L Hunt, associate
professor in the Department of Anthropology, coauthored a report with Carl P
Lipo, California State University–Long Beach, titled Late Colonization of
Easter Island.ž The report appeared in the online version of Science magazine on 9 March
2006.
Jane Freeman Moulin,
professor of ethnomusicology, is in Punaauia, Tahiti, for six months of
fieldwork focusing on the performing arts (particularly Tahitian dance and
dance music) as cultural consumption. Her article on the Marquesas Islands
appeared in the Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Folklore and Folklife, Volume I (2006), a
volume devoted to topics and themes from Africa, Australia, and Oceania.
Jon Van Dyke, professor of
law at the William S Richardson School of Law, was a keynote speaker at the
“Sharing the Fish Conference 2006” in Fremantle, Western Australia, in
February.
STUDENT AND ALUMNI ACTIVITIES
Congratulations to recent graduate Lea Lani Kinikini (MA
2005)! Lani was named a recipient of the New Zealand International Doctoral
Research Scholarship for a term of three years to study as a full-time PhD
student in Pacific studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Her research
will focus on the Tongan diaspora and on narrative approaches to research and
writing. Lani enrolled in the program in March 2006. Her supervisor is Teresia
Teaiwa.
CPIS students Marianna Lucia Aguon Hernandez and Judith
Humbert presented papers at the 21–23 March 2006 UHM School of Hawaiian, Asian,
and Pacific Studies annual graduate student conference “People, Places, and
Emerging Ideas: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Asia and the Pacific.” Marianna’s
paper was “‘Savaged’ in Their Own Stories: An Analysis of the Colonial and
Catholic Influences on Chamorro Legends.” Judith’s paper was “Educational
Transformation: Aotearoa New Zealand.” She was also a member of the conference
planning committee.
Alexander Dale Mawyer (MA 1997) is a co-guest editor for
the newly published Varua Tupu: New Writing and Art from French Polynesia, Mānoa 17:2 (see Publications). Alex is currently a
doctoral candidate in anthropology at the University of Chicago, where he is
writing up research conducted in Mangareva.
Congratulations to April Henderson (MA 1999) and Junior
So‘o, proud parents of Le‘aniva ‘Alohilani Bailey Henderson So‘o, born in
Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, on 20 February 2006. April is on maternity
leave from her position in Pacific studies at Victoria University of Wellington
and will return to work in June 2006.
STUDENTS AT UH HILO AND USP COLLABORATE ON PUBLICATION
Making Waves: An Anthology of TransPacific Writing began as an experimental teaching venture that
brought together, for the first time, counterparts at UH Hilo and the
University of the South Pacific (USP). The result is a collection of writings
by students from across the Pacific region and beyond, including poems and
short prose pieces, accompanied by photos, illustrations, and personal
statements by the writers. The collection and project was also a result of the
collaboration of teachers and Making Waves editors, Seri I Luangphinith (UHH) and Mohit Prasad (USP).
According to Luangphinith, the project “started with the
desire to make a difference.” In 2004, Luangphinith was approached by two
students, Achena Finik and Kathreen Roby, who were concerned about the lack of
representation of Micronesian writings in previous Pacific anthologies. She
recruited the help of Prasad, who was just taking up the reins of the Pacific
Writing Forum at USP, which he describes as “the major publishing force for
creative writing in Fiji for the Pacific.” In addition to writers from across
Micronesia, Making Waves contains work
by students from Fiji, Hawai‘i, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Germany, and Georgia
(USA). The publication was made possible for a grant from the HAWCC/UHH Board
of Student Publications. For ordering information, see the Making
Waves website at
www.uhh.hawaii.edu/depts/english/makingwaves/ or contact Luangphinith
at seri@hawaii.edu.
PUBLICATIONS, MOVING IMAGES, and CDS
Available from UH Press
Varua Tupu: New Writing
and Art from French Polynesia, the latest issue of Mānoa journal (17:2), edited by Frank Stewart and guest editors
Kareva Mateata-Allain and Alexander Dale Mawyer. Varua Tupu translates the
voices of an emerging Ma‘ohi literary community into English and showcases the
cultural arts of the region. It also contains fresh translations of the poetry
of Henri Hiro, who sparked the Tahitian cultural renaissance in the 1960s and
1970s. 2005, 200 pages. ISBN 0-8248-3019-9, paper, US$16.00.
UH Press books can be
ordered through the Orders Department, University of Hawai‘i Press, 2840
Kolowalu Street, Honolulu, HI 96822-1888; website
www.uhpress.hawaii.edu.
Other Publications
Making Waves: An
Anthology of TransPacific Writing, edited by Seri I Luangphinith and Mohit Prasad, is
a collection of poetry, short pieces, and images that originated in literature
classes taught at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and the University of the
South Pacific in Fiji. For ordering information, see the website at
www.uhh.hawaii.edu/depts/english/makingwaves/.
Papuan Pasts: Cultural,
Linguistic and Biological Histories of Papuan-Speaking Peoples, edited by Andrew
Pawley, Robert Attenborough, Jack Golson, and Robin Hide, is an
interdisciplinary exploration of the history of humans in New Guinea, the
Bismarck Archipelago, and Solomon Islands, with particular attention to the
people who speak Papuan (non-Austronesian) languages. The book’s twenty-eight
chapters include reports by archaeologists, historical linguists, environmental
scientists, cultural anthropologists, biological anthropologists, and
population geneticists. Published by Pacific Linguistics at Australian National
University. 2005, 817 pages. ISBN 0-85883-562-2, A$135.00 outside of Australia.
For information, see the website at pacling.anu.edu.au.
Films, Videos, and DVDs
The Land Has Eyes (87 minutes), filmmaker Vilsoni Hereniko’s
feature film set in Rotuma, is now available on DVD to university libraries and
educational institutions. The DVD includes the film The Land Has
Teeth,
a documentary by Esther Figueroa on indigenous justice in Rotuma, as well as a
commentary by Hereniko on Rotuman culture, and a behind-the-scenes slide show.
For ordering information, see the website at www.thelandhaseyes.com.
Sale of DVDs for individuals will begin in October 2006.
Staying
Connected (22 minutes, 2006) is the latest video from Micronesian Seminar
(MicSem Island Topics 48). It provides a glimpse of some of the technologies
that Micronesians are using in their work and in staying connected to family
and friends in other parts of the world. It also looks at the implications for
Micronesians in the future. US$20.00. For information, see the website at
www.micsem.org.
CD-ROMs
Classical
Hawaiian Education: Generations of Hawaiian Culture, by John Charlot, professor in the Department of
Religion, UH Mānoa, shows how education permeated
Hawaiians’ lives in the nineteenth century and was a central factor in
encounters with foreigners, including missionary teachers. It includes
proposals for Hawaiian culture programs from kindergarten to university.
Distributed by University of Hawai‘i Press for the Pacific Institute, Brigham
Young University–Hawai‘i Campus. 2005, 1042 pages. ISBN 0-939154-71-4 (CD-ROM),
US$14.00.
CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
Asia Pacific Mediation Forum
Conference
“Mediating Culture in the Pacific and Asia” is the third Asia Pacific Mediation
Forum Conference. It will be held 26–30 June 2006 at the University of the
South Pacific, Suva, Fiji. The conference aims to bring together
community-based and institution-based practitioners to highlight methodologies
and create networks of mediation practitioners. Two accredited basic-mediation
courses will be held 19–23 June, immediately before the conference. For more
information, see the website at www.usp.ac.fj/apmf.
Pacific Transnationalisms: Ties to the Homelands
The multiple ties between Pacific diasporic peoples and their homelands
in the islands will be the focus of “Pacific Transnationalisms,” an
international and multidisciplinary conference to be held 20–22 November 2006
at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. A key outcome of the conference
will be a publication on Pacific transnationalism and a linked website, which
will provide an ongoing hub for discussion and resources relevant to this
topic. Paper abstracts are due by 5 May 2006 to conference convener Helen Lee at
h.lee@latrobe.edu.au.
PIALA
Conference on Knowledge Networks
The fifteenth annual conference of the Pacific Islands Association of
Libraries and Archives (PIALA) will be held in Koro, Republic of Palau, 13–17
November 2006. “Libraries, Archives, and Museums: Building Knowledge Networks
for Vibrant Communities,” will feature a two-day preconference workshop on
library advocacy. The conveners invite conference papers on topics such as
promoting literacy, sources of funding for Pacific libraries, best practices in
library services, collection development for small libraries, and distance
learning for professional development. Please send abstracts by 1 July 2006 to both Sandy Fernandez at bnm@palaunet.com and
Gretchen Reynolds at Gretchen@palau.edu.
Conferences
Announced in Previous Newsletters
· The
New Zealand Studies Association (NZSA) and the Centre de Recherche sur les
Identités Culturelles et les Langues de Spécialités (CICLaS), are presenting a
conference, “New Zealand, France, and the Pacific,” at the University Paris
Dauphine, 29 June–1 July 2006.
· “Vaka
Vuku: Navigating Knowledges—Pacific Epistemologies Conference” will be held 3–7
July 2006 at the University of the South Pacific. For information, see
www.usp.ac.fj/index.php?id=1351.
· “Sustainable
Islands—Sustainable Strategies,” the ninth conference of the International
Small Islands Studies Association (ISISA), will be held in Kahului, Maui,
Hawai‘i, 29 July to 3 August 2006. For information, see the website at maui.Hawaii.edu/isisa2006.
· “Te
Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa (The Great Ocean of Kiwa—
Oceania),” the Pacific History Association’s seventeenth biennial conference,
will be held at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, 7–9 December
2006. For information, contact Jacqui Leckie at
jacqui.leckie@stonebow.otago.ac.nz or Judy Bennett at
judy.bennett@stonebow.otago.ac.nz or see the PHA website at www.pacifichistoryassociation.com