Pacific Connections Seminar Series
March 7, 12:00pm - 1:15pmMānoa Campus, 3121/3125 John Burns Hall (East-West Center)
“Who Am I to Extol Tupaia?†Tahitian Voices in a MÄori Project about the Pacific
Alice Te Punga Somerville, Department of English
When Cook and his crew visited Aotearoa in 1769, Tupaia from RaÊ»iatea not only acted as translator between Europeans and MÄori but also recorded first exchanges in a painting. Reflecting on the role of MaÊ»ohi people during these encounters, MÄori poet Robert Sullivan asks “who am I to extol Tupaia . . . who am I to say these things?†How, indeed, do we write about connections between Pacific people? In the Pacific, how can we tell stories of ourselves without telling stories of each other, and yet how do we avoid—as Sullivan puts it —“tak[ing] the middle of your throat[s]â€? Dr Te Punga Somerville will consider the contributions of Tupaia’s painting and Chantal Spitz’s writing to her book Once Were Pacific: MÄori connections to Oceania, which explores MÄori/Pacific connections at the regional and national levels. We are used to talking about the problem of disconnections between Pacific people at the regional level, often for contemporary linguistic and political reasons; what risks and possibilities emerge when we attempt to work around and beyond them?
Alice Te Punga Somerville (MÄori - Te Ä€tiawa) is an Associate Professor in English, specializing in Pacific Literatures. After receiving her PhD from Cornell University, she taught for seven years at Victoria University of Wellington. Her first book, Once Were Pacific (University of Minnesota Press 2012), explores MÄori/ Pacific connections. She also writes the occasional poem.
Throughout the spring semester for scholarly presentations from Hawai‘i and Tahiti are presented using video conference technology. These live presentations will be given by faculty at the University of French Polynesia, the University of Hawaiʻi, and the East-West Center.
Ticket Information
Free and open to the public
Event Sponsor
Center for Pacific Islands Studies, Mānoa Campus
More Information
Kathrine Higgins, (808) 956-2658, khiggins@hawaii.edu, Pacific Connections (PDF)
Thursday, March 28 |
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9:00am |
PI-CASC Graduate Student Symposium
Mānoa Campus, Inmin Conference Room, East West Center
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9:30am |
Mathematics Final Oral
Mānoa Campus, George 213
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12:00pm |
Lunchbreak Mindfulness Series: The Spring Refresh
Mānoa Campus, Online
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2:00pm |
ASUHWO General Senate Meeting
West Oʻahu Campus, Student Life Center, C-214 OR Online via Zoom
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3:00pm |
Oceanography Seminar - Daniela Koenig
Mānoa Campus, Marine Science Building 100
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3:00pm |
Gaza is Palestine: On Bakers and Storytellers
Mānoa Campus, 3114 Paliuili st
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4:30pm |
Gaza is Palestine: On Bakers and Storytellers
Mānoa Campus, 3114 Paliuili st
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5:00pm |
Part Time JD Flex and Law School Admissions - Zoom Information Session - March
Mānoa Campus, Virtual
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5:00pm |
Maika'i Tubbs: Candidate Presentation for Asst. Prof. Kanaka Maoli Visual Art
Mānoa Campus, ART 101
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7:00pm |
Navigators Bible Study
Mānoa Campus, Honolulu Christian Church 2207 Oahu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96822
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Friday, March 29 |
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3:00pm |
Business Administration Final Oral
Mānoa Campus, Zoom
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Saturday, March 30 |
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7:30pm |
JAVANESE GAMELAN CONCERT
Mānoa Campus, Music Department Barbara Smith Amphiteater
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