Pacific Islands Studies Plan B Masters Projects

Permanent URI for this collection

SEE ALSO
M.A. - Pacific Islands Studies [http://hdl.handle.net/10125/2130]
and
M.A. Plan A - Pacific Islands Studies [http://hdl.handle.net/10125/20085]

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 10 of 91
  • Item
    Noho Ana Ke Akua I Ka Nāhelehele
    ( 2014) Blair-Stahn, Chai Grahame Kaiaka
    The Hawaiian chant Noho Ana Ke Akua I Ka Nāhelehele describes hula practitioners as kahu, or stewards, of Laka, the principle Hawaiian hula deity who may be perceived of as the natural environment. This customary role is problematized by features of contemporary life that degrade the natural environment. The practice, performance, and perpetuation of hula are all at stake, as nature is the primary source of inspiration, emulation, and resources for hula practitioners. Potential solutions to some environmental issues are presented as re-solutions based upon customary hula practices. These suggestions were derived through an interdisciplinary investigation featuring ethnographic, narrative, linguistic, and scientific analyses.

    The methodology for this investigation was rooted in Hawaiian concepts and values of Nihi ka hele – treading lightly, Nānā i ke kumu – looking to the source, and Maka hana ka ‘ike – knowing through doing. While drawing upon published sources and interviews with cultural practitioners, the investigation also drew upon the personal experiences of a non-Kanaka Maoli (non-Native Hawaiian) hula practitioner.

    This portfolio is organized as two separate but interrelated mahele or divisions. Mahele One comprises the major written component. Mahele Two includes separate Lau, or leaves -interview transcripts, a glossary of terms, calculations, and tables of supporting information.
  • Item
    AELÕÑ IN AIBOJOOJ: Visual Reclamation of Marshallese Self-Representation
    ( 2020-03-03) Enomoto, Joy Lehuanani
    There are a few dominant visual narratives of the Marshall Islands, however precious few of those narratives are told by the Marshallese. Issues such as, climate change, the Compact Of Free Association, and the nuclear legacy are discourses about the Marshall Islands fueled by the media. Images of loss and devastation that promote concepts of extinction rather than the deeper stories of an imaginative and problem solving people. But what happens when the cameras are given to those who actually the descendants of the land? How does the lens shift? In July, 2018, a small group of Marshallese students and community members, came together to participate in a photography project engaging the question, "What is the visual story you want to tell about your home?" The result was a photo exhibition that was shared at the close of the National Climate Dialogue held at the International Conference Center in Majuro. The participants named the exhibition, Aelõñ in Aibojooj - beautiful small things. The exhibition shares images of children, of laughter and favorite beaches, of soil erosion and solutions, of culture and community. In a just a few images, it provides a larger visual narrative of the beauty of place that is often not truly seen. It is for the people of this place, who call this place home, sharing the beauty in the small things of everyday life. Their life.
  • Item
  • Item
  • Item
  • Item
    Changing Attitudes of Education in Hawaii, 1820-1920
    ( 2014) Iaukea, Liane Patricia Carmen
  • Item
  • Item
    IEP Jaltok: A History of Marshallese Literature
    ( 2014) Jetnil-Kijiner, Kathy
  • Item
  • Item
    Lei Stories: Experiences and Practices Behind Lei Production in Hawaii
    ( 2010) Nishida, Junko
    With the emergence of a globalized capitalist economy, discussions regarding social meanings of things are constructed more around symbols: how things are represented and categorized, rather than practice: how things are produced and consumed. Especially in Hawai‘i, where tourism has a strong presence in the landscapes and the lives of people, issues concerning representation of “Hawaiian culture” are widely argued both in the business and academic arenas. Lei, which is generally regarded as a “Hawaiian cultural commodity,” circulates widely within both the everyday life of the local community and the tourist industry. While much of the discussion of lei is centered on its representation and authenticity, its production processes remain unrevealed. Who are the producers? Under what conditions do they make lei? What are the local and extra-local connections involved in the production process? Through following the chain of production and consumption, my project aims to outline the interconnectedness of people and their social activities in relation to today’s capitalist economy. Choosing lei as a product of research is, therefore, a challenge for naturalized thinking processes about culture and its connection to everyday material life.