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2010- Pacific Renaissance: Laboratory for the Study
of Cultural Globalization
February 2010
Hello Everybody,
I think we had a really good meeting on Feb 27. Here
is my summary and paraphrase of our observations and
questions about the concept of the Pacific Renaissance:
It expresses the idea of having a place for Pacific
peoples to express themselves unapologetically, to
express their sense of having arrived.
Pacific peoples have pride of place; they have a voice.
Pacific peoples have real agency. They have ways to
define themselves and to rejuvenate culture.
At the political level, Papua New Guinea looks like
a model for independence movements elsewhere. People
talk about a “Tanzania Effect,” with independence
ideologies spreading from Africa to Melanesia. “Melanesian
Socialism” grows out of experiences in Africa.
For understanding the processes included in the concept,
the postcolonial theoretical framework is important.
Orthodox postcolonialism becomes a language people
can use or not use. Groups take a tactical rather
than strategic approach (Chadwick Allen). Things come
together and then people respond. Ex: a meeting house
in Aeoteroa is falling down and a western collector
wants it. The people band together to mow the lawn
and reclaim it.
When reading the texts produced in the Pacific Renaissance
we have to employ “the hermeneutics of suspicion.”
You can’t enter a text without questioning the
writer.
How much tradition should be kept as Pacific peoples
go forward into the future?
What effects do individuals have on events associated
with the Pacific Renaissance?
The Renaissance in the Pacific looks like similar
movements elsewhere in the decolonizing world. As
with those processes, does the Pacific Renaissance
have recognizable stages?
How do the leaders navigate in the modern world?
What are the uses and abuses of theory for studying
the Pacific Renaissance?
How do we deal with the issue of westernization? How
do we separate westernization from education?
We had reports on Father Walter Lini and Jean-Marie
Tjibaou (John), Al Wendt (Lydia), Patricia Grace (Shyalama),
Witi Ihimaera (Terri), Ralph Regenvanu (Jill), and
Sidney Moko Mead (Lou). Please send in your remarks
and a brief bibliography so we can share all that
good work.
Here is the summary of what we were looking for in
the reports:
How is the figure contextualized?
What kinds of sources were used?
What aspects of the Renaissance does this figure connect
to?
How does information about this figure help me understand
the phenomenon of the renaissance?
The seminar on Cheap Meat is set for Friday, April
9, at our house in Northampton. If you know of other
people who would be interested please bring them along.
Just give me a couple of day’s notice. I’m
thinking 5:00 to start but if that’s too early
let me know.
The good news from the Pacific is that Al Wendt has
been short listed for the Commonwealth Prize and won
an award for the best book of the year in Sydney,
Australia, for The Adventures of Vela. I’ve
got a copy so Lydia gets it next and then anyone who
wants can borrow it.
Cheers to all,
Lou
January 2010
Dear Hill Center Reading
Group:
Here are some things to think about after our meeting
of January 16:
First, this is the list of possible curriculum topics
about Vanuatu that Jill and I came up with at our
meeting and for which we need your help:
Mythology
What students learn in Vanuatu (the textbooks)
American interest and connections with Vanuatu,
then and now
Global warming and sustainability issues
Tourism
NAGPRA, UNESCO, and Indigenous Peoples Movement
in Vanuatu
Multilingualism
Colonialism
Captain Cook
“Meet the Natives” movie
“Arts of Vanuatu” exhibition
On the possibility of producing a unit that Jill could
pilot for us, here is a relevant note from Terri,
suggesting that her husband might also be willing
to pilot a unit;
“Thanks for the great meeting on Saturday.
I wanted to mention that my husband (Ken Abrams)
is a middle school social studies teacher in Scituate,
Rhode Island.
He is chair of his department. He teaches 7/8th
grade world geography,
social studies and history. He always integrates
social issues in his course, including Holocaust
and Genocide Studies. We have been talking about
what is developing with the Hill Center and he offered
to test out pilot materials--anything (he said)
especially related to music, art, and literature
(film). These integrate well, he says. He already
does a geography segment on Australia with musical
instruments and some art work that I have from my
travel there.
He also does an extended segment on first contact--with
Native American people and could possible do something
on Captain Cook, etc. So he wanted to just say that
he could try some things out if we wanted him, too.
He said that June would be a good time for him to
try out some initial things.”
Since Ken already does something with music, I looked
about and here are some things to look at: (I’m
putting the web addresses at the end):
A current show at the Met on musical instruments
from the Pacific
A link to the Field Museum site with its Vanuatu
materials
Port Vila, capital of Vanuatu, recently hosted the
3rd Arts of Vanuatu Festival, at which, of course,
they had lots of music. I wasn’t able to find
much, but did find some hits. You might be able
to find more.
Welcome speech by the current chairman of the Vanuatu
Cultural Center, Marcellin Abong, who replaced Ralph
Regenvanu (attachment)
A video, which I have to say I can’t really
recommend, although it does have musical instruments
being played.
An article on the Festival from the Chinese Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, alerting us to the need to put
China and the Pacific into any curriculum.
Here is the list of assignments we gave out on Saturday.
Please take a look at your assignment sheet for the
whole year, where you will see that you have two opportunities
to work on the topic of the literary renaissance.
If you think you might want to change your mind and
pick a new person, please feel free to do so.
So far, for political figures we have John doing Walter
Lini (Vanuatu) and Jean Tjibaux (New Caledonia) and
Ned doing Bernard Narikobi (Papua New Guinea). For
literature we have Lydia on Albert Wendt (Samoa),
Shyamala on Patricia Grace (New Zealand), Terri on
Witi Ihimaera (New Zealand), and Mary on Reina Whaitiri
(New Zealand). For art we have Lou on Sidney Moko
Mead (New Zealand). For what I guess I will call essays
and nonfiction we have Jill on Ralph Regenvanu (Vanuatu)
and Lynn on Epeli Hau’ofa (Tonga). My only problem
is with Reina Whaitiri, who is a poet and is married
to Albert Wendt. Her works are not so easy to find
and anyway, we have a good representation from New
Zealand. Mary, would you consider going back to the
Vanuatu curriculum and going over your notes for what
looks teachable?
For the assignment for next time, Saturday, February
27, please limit yourself to a FIVE MINUTE summary
of what you have found out. It would be a good idea
to send the material on your person to all of us as
you accumulate it, so you can just hit the high points
when we meet. More questions? Send them on and we
can all try to answer.
As always, thanks to you
all.
Lou
Web addresses:
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={167B273F-192E-461A-A3EE-B197F02AA109}
This is the Met site. Most of the instruments are
from Papua New Guinea.
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/mln/pacific.html
The Field Museum in Chicago has more things from Vanuatu
than does the Met, primarily because of the work of
collector A.B. Lewis. Remember that last year our
speaker, Rob Welsch, is the man who has written most
extensively about Lewis.
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/mln/pacific.html
Go here if you want to be reminded of what Vanuatu
slit gongs look like
http://www.samsungimaging.net/the-3rd-vanuatu-arts-festival
This is the site with the video of the arts festival
in Port Vila.
http://www.sourcejuice.com/1273123/2009/11/06/Carry-forward-traditional-culture-boost-economic-development/#top
This is the afrticle from the Chinese Ministry of
Foreign Affairs about the Vanuatu Arts Festival, complete
with acceptable pictures.
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