Contents:
Featuring Paradise: The Pacific in Film
Hawaiian Studies Building Officially Open
Pan-Pacific Club Hold Exhibition
CPIS Welcomes New Student
News in Brief
Center Visitors
Staff Activities
Seminars and Talks
Report on Third Conference of ESfO
Call for Submissions: The Contemporary Pacific
New Publications and Resources
Conferences
Bulletin Board
"Featuring Paradise: Representations of the Pacific in Film" is the title of the center's annual conference, which will be held in Honolulu, 11–13 November 1997. Planned to coincide with the Hawai'i International Film Festival, this academic conference will address how the Pacific and Pacific Islanders have been portrayed in feature film for the past hundred years. Concerned primarily with a historical overview and general patterns rather than isolated and individual films, the five panels planned for the conference will focus on the themes of paradise, gender, race and class, violence, and indigenous filmmaking. Screenings of significant films will be a part of the conference.
Beautiful skies prevailed for the long-awaited official opening of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's Center for Hawaiian Studies building. The opening, on 18 January, began with a kahea and blessing procession led by Kumu John LAKE, a program featuring opening remarks by dignitaries and a review of the history of Hawaiian Studies at UH Manoa by Director Haunani-Kay TRASK, and a reception. The evening celebrations featured a lu'au and entertainment by singers and a number of well-known halaus. Throughout the day, Board of Regent Emerita Mrs Gladys 'Ainoa BRANDT was honored for her vision and for the encouragement that enabled Hawaiians to fulfill their dream of a building of their own on the Manoa campus: a building which, she said, "with its gracious, yet resolute, union with the land about it, symbolizes the very essence of traditional Hawaiian culture."
The building, designed by the award-winning architectural firm of Kauahikakua and Chun, incorporates traditional Hawaiian architectural motifs, including a courtyard and entryway to accommodate traditional protocol for visiting dignitaries and guests, many of whom traveled from as far away as New Zealand Aotearoa, British Columbia, Rapa Nui, and the US mainland for the opening ceremonies.
The exhibition, part of the EWC's Center-Wide Education Council's program aimed at enhancing cultural interaction and understanding among members of the center's community, was opened by Pan-Pacific Club's president, William WIGMORE. Also on the executive committee and active in the planning for the event were Phyllis MAIKE-GANILEO, Mahendra REDDY, and Kristine OH. The formal program ended with dancing in the late afternoon, but in true Islands fashion, the music and kava drinking went on into the wee hours of the morning.
Phyllis Maike-Ganileo (in blue t-shirt) stands ready to help with the food at the Pan-Pacific Cultural Exhibition
More Pictures from the Exhibition
Simon ELLIS is the new Pacific Regional Aquaculture Extension Agent stationed in Pohnpei. Originally from Lincolnshire, England, he has a graduate degree in fisheries and aquaculture at Lousiana State University. From his home base at the College of Micronesia Land Grant office in Pohnpei, Ellis will travel throughout the US-affiliated entities to conduct workshops and provide technical assistance to Islanders wishing to begin or expand aquaculture-related businesses.
In addition to examining representations of the Pacific in ethnography, literature, and film, the seminar will address broader issues related to cultural diversity and efforts to incorporate international perspectives in college curricula.
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning has joined forces with Hawai'i schools, Continental Micronesia Airlines, and the metropolitan rotary Club of Honolulu to collect reading materials in Hawai'i and the US mainland for school libraries in the Pacific. School children in Yap, Federated States of Micronesia, will be the first beneficiaries of this program. The project targets specific needs of rural schools and encourages continuing cultural exchange and contact among the participating schools. Books for the initial shipment were donated by Pu'uhale Elementary School in Honolulu.
Aurelia E BREAZEALE, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, called briefly at the center on 22 January on her way to Fiji and other destinations in the Pacific. While in Honolulu, she discussed recent developments in the region.
Max QUANCHI, of the Department of History, Queensland Institute of Technology, visited the center on 28 January on his way to Micronesia to meet with teachers and department of education personnel as part of his Teaching the Pacific Forum project. He discussed pre-collegiate and collegiate education initiatives focusing on the Pacific and also met with people at PREL (Pacific Resources for Education and Learning) and BYU-Hawai'i Campus.
John CONNELL, from the Department of Geography, University of Sydney, was in Honolulu for a week in February. He is on extended study leave and intends to spend time in Canada and England before returning to Sydney.
Don RUBINSTEIN, from the Micronesian Area Research Center, University of Guam, visited the center on his way back to Guam from the US mainland in late February. He talked to center staff about various activities in Micronesia.
On 5 March, Arma Jane KARAER, foreign service career officer and new American ambassador to Papua New Guinea, called en route to taking up her post in Port Moresby. She engaged in a general discussion of Papua New Guinea and US–Pacific Islands relations.
Jacques-Andre COSTILHES, former French ambassador to Fiji, currently with the Ministry of Defense, Paris, stopped at the center on 6 March to discuss relations between the University of Hawai'i and the University of France in the Pacific.
Allen P Stayman and Nancy L B Fanning, Acting Director and Director, Policy Division, respectively, of the US Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs, visited the center the last week in March. They were en route from Washington, DC, to American Samoa.
Report on Third Conference of ESfO
by Ulla HASAGER
Pacific Peoples in the Pacific Century: Society, Culture, Nature, the third conference of the European Society for Oceanists, was held in Copenhagen, 13-15 December 1996, at the National Museum of Denmark and the Institute of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
The conference focused on the rapid political, social, cultural, and ecological change in the Pacific. More than two hundred scholars participated, including thirty-five from research institutions in the Pacific region. One hundred and four papers were presented in addition to five keynote lectures. The keynote lectures presented case examples from Micronesia (Marjorie V. C. FALANRUW: "Traditional Systems of Resource Use and Modern Developments in Micronesia"), Polynesia (Malama MELEISEA: "Governance and Leadership in Polynesia: A Samoan Micro-Perspective"), and Melanesia (Ralph REGENVANU: "Challenges for Cultural Resource Management in Vanuatu"), and also presented pan-Oceanic (Epeli HAU'OFA: "The Ocean in Us") and global perspectives (Marshall SAHLINS: "The End of Sentimental Pessimism: Reflections on Epeli Hau'ofa's 'Our Sea of Islands'").
The conference concluded with a plenary discussion that explored a range of issues, most notably those of intellectual property rights and academic scholars' obligation to engage in wider dialogues.
The next ESfO Conference in 1998 will have the overall theme of Asia in the Pacific. For detailed information on the European Society for Oceanists, past conferences including reports and abstracts of papers, and membership directory, visit the society's parent web site in Finland (http://cc.joensuu.fi/esfo/) or the Australian mirror site http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~marck/esfo/esfo.htm. The web sites include links to Pacific news web sites, Oceanic bibliographies, and information on the ESfO email discussion list, ESFO-L@SEGATE.SUNET.SE, hosted by Swedish universities.
THE CONTEMPORARY PACIFIC: A JOURNAL OF ISLAND AFFAIRS
The Contemporary Pacific: A Journal of Island Affairs is interested in receiving scholarly articles on contemporary issues of concern in the Pacific Islands, with particular reference to the late twentieth century. Articles on such issues as urbanization, migration, culture change, decolonization, dependency, development, and social and health problems are sought along with submissions addressing such topics as cultural movements, ethnic relations, regional cooperation, population pressures, environmental concerns, and strategic and security matters. The journal is also very much interested in receiving works that address island art, vernacular literature, the politics of representation, and critical theory approaches to contemporary Pacific topics. Articles relating to earlier periods in Pacific Islands history, on other regions, or of a more general theoretical nature will be considered if they help to illuminate current issues and concerns within the region. All articles published in the journal are refereed. The Editorial Board especially encourages articles that draw on the literature of more than one discipline.
Submissions must be original works not previously published and not under consideration or scheduled for publication by another publisher. Manuscripts should be 8,000 to 10,000 words, or no more than 40 double-spaced pages, including references. Contributors should submit two copies, typewritten or produced on letter-quality printers. Everything must be double-spaced, including each line of references and notes (if any). Editorial style follows the most recent edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. A detailed style guide is available from the Editor upon request. Authors of accepted manuscripts are expected to provide a final version of their work on disk as well as in hard copy. Guidelines for preparing manuscripts on disk are also available from the Editor.
All submissions and editorial correspondence should be addressed to: David HANLON, Editor, The Contemporary Pacific, UH Center for Pacific Islands Studies, 1890 East-West Road, Moore Hall 215, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822-2362; tel 808-956-9957, fax 808-956-7053; email: hanlon@hawaii.edu.
Arts of Vanuatu, edited by Joel BONNEMAISON, Kirk HUFFMAN, Christian KAUFMANN, and Darrell TRYON, is the first work covering the traditional art of the cultural groups that make up Vanuatu. It is also the first work to cover such a broad range of topics under the term "arts." The unity and diversity of the islands that make up Vanuatu is dealt with in chapters that cover language, early history, men's and women's art, the art of power and relating, documenting the visual record, and the contemporary scene. Contributors to the richly-illustrated volume include geographers, anthropologists, curators, and experts in film and ethnomusicology. Cloth, ISBN 0-8248-1956-X, US$79.
Legacy of the Landscape: An Illustrated Guide to Hawaiian Archaeological Sites, by Patrick Vinton KIRCH, is an introduction to Hawaiian efforts to protect and preserve archaeological sites in the islands. Kirch has selected a range of sites across six of the islands in order to provide a comprehensive overview of Hawaiian archaeology. All of the sites are accessible to the public, and the author offers guidelines for visiting them. The book is fully illustrated by photographs by Thérèse I BABINEAU. Cloth, ISBN 0-8248-1816-4, US$45; paper, ISBN 0-8248-1739-7, US$29.95.
Malo Tupou: An Oral History, by Tupou Posesi FANUA, with Lois Wimberg WEBSTER, is Tupou's recounting, at age 83, of her memories of the first twenty-one years of her life. The result is a compelling oral history of early twentieth-century Tonga from a woman's perspective. Distributed for Pasifika Press outside the South Pacific; paper, ISBN 0-908597-26-6, US$25.
UH Press books can be ordered through the Orders Department, University of Hawai'i Press, 2840 Kolowalu Street, Honolulu, HI 96822-1888.
Double Ghosts: Oceanian Voyagers on Euroamerican Ships, by center faculty member David CHAPPELL, is a narrative that weaves together numerous local, regional, and national accounts of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century "shipping out" of Pacific Islanders aboard European and American vessels. Chappell explains the significance of "shipping out" as a world history phenomenon and demonstrates that European expansion was a two-sided process. Published by M E Sharpe, 80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY 10504; ISBN 1-56324-998-7; US$60.95.
Three recent books in an environmental education series for Micronesia, Plants and Environments of the Marshall Islands, Plants and Their Environments in Chuuk, and Plants, People and Ecology in Yap are available for purchase from the senior author, Mark MERLIN. The books, which were developed under a grant from the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, were written to encourage students in the islands to consider careers in their home islands as scientists and resource managers. The volumes, which have color illustrations, contain information on physical geography, plants and vegetation, traditional use of plants, and environmental change and conservation in the islands, as well as plant lists and some student exercises. The books, in paperback, are US$20 each, which includes shipping. Mark Merlin can be contacted at the Biology Program, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Dean 108, Honolulu, HI 96822; email merlin@hawaii.edu.
The Pacific Islands: Paths to the Present, by Evelyn COLBERT, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, is a brief introduction to the institutions, policy concerns, and international roles of the Pacific Islands. Published by Westview Press; ISBN 0-8133-3286-9, paper, US$27, 120 pp.
The Center for Pacific Islands Studies Occasional Paper 39, Pacific Islands Dissertations & Theses from the University of Hawai'i 1923–1996, compiled by Lynette FURUHASHI, UH Library Pacific Specialist, is now available. It is an updated version of the 1994 volume. The paper, at US$15, which includes air mail postage, can be ordered from the address on the masthead.
Trout is an electronic journal of New Zealand and Pacific Islands literature intended to encourage writers and artists to explore the new medium of the WEB. The journal, hosted by University of Auckland, is edited by TONY MURROW. The first issue includes poems by Robert SULLIVAN, Michelle LEGGOTT, and Janet CHARMAN, short fiction by Dan MCMULLIN, photographs by Evotia TAMUA, and an article by Linda CROWL on the state of book publishing in the Pacific Region. Submission details are available on the WEB site, http://www.auckland.ac.nz/lbr/trout/trout.htm and from Murrow at tmurrow@eve.pl.net.
Spirits of the Voyage was produced and directed by Eric METZGAR in association with navigators Jesus Urupiy and Ali Haleyalur and the chiefs and people of Lamotrek Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia. The 88-minute video is an account of the fragile status of traditional navigational knowledge, arts, and skills in the face of cultural adaptations to changing times. Of special interest is the resurrected navigator rite of passage called Pwo. Available in VHS-NTSC and VHS-PAL from Eric Metzgar, Triton Films, 5177 Mesquite Street, Camarillo, CA 93012 USA; email emetzgar@vcnet.com.
Pacific Passagesis a video on the islands and peoples of the Pacific Islands, produced especially for intermediate and high school students. The video interweaves contemporary footage of ritual events and daily activities of Islanders across the Pacific with the world-renowned collections of the Honolulu Academy of Art and the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. The video, produced by Caroline YACOE, Wendy ARBEIT, and G B HAJIM, focuses on dance, art, ritual, and the stages of life. The video can be ordered in VHS NTSC (US$75) or PAL (US$85) from Pacific Pathways/Palm Frond Productions, PO Box 23296, Honolulu, HI 96823; tel (808) 941-1278; ph/fax (808) 396-3326; cyacoepp@aol.com.
Published quarterly by
The Center for Pacific Islands Studies
School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies
University of Hawai'i at Manoa
1890 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96822 USA
Phone: (808) 956-7700
Fax: (808) 956-7053
email: ctisha@hawaii.edu
Robert C Kiste, Director
Letitia Hickson, Editor
Items in this newsletter may be freely reprinted. Acknowledgment of the source would be appreciated. To receive the newsletter electronically, contact the editor at the email address above.
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