Pacific Islands Studies Plan A Masters Theses

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/20085

SEE ALSO
M.A. - Pacific Islands Studies [http://hdl.handle.net/10125/2130]
and
M.A. Plan B - Pacific Islands Studies [http://hdl.handle.net/10125/20086]

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Singing in their genealogical trees : the emergence of contemporary Hawaiian poetry in English
(1989) Hamasaki, Richard
This study is primarily an examination of three contemporary Hawaiian poets. The three poets, Dana Naone Hall, Wayne Kaumuali'i Westlake (1947-1984) and Joseph P. Balaz, are of Hawaiian ancestry, and they are among the first ethnic Hawaiian writers to publish a significant body of contemporary poetry written primarily in English.
Na'la'la' i hila'-ta, na'matatnga i taotao-ta: Chamorro language as liberation from colonization
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2014-05) Kuper, Kenneth Douglas Gofigan
This thesis aims to explore the connection between decolonization and language revitalization in Guåhan, an island in the Marianas archipelago. This thesis argues that one could better understand the manifestations, obstacles, and complexities of decolonization by looking at language revitalization. It also explores the liberatory potential of language and language's importance to a people. This thesis argues that the main obstacle to decolonization is its emphasis on state-centric approaches, and that effective decolonization should be rooted in indigenous values and perspectives. Language revitalization is not only used as a metaphor for decolonization, but is also argued to be a core method and component of effective decolonization. Through an analysis of the history of language oppression, Chamorro-english dictionaries, and community language projects, decolonization and language revitalization will be shown to be intimately connected. Language as a core component of a people will be shown to be an avenue of reconnection, an avenue of empowerment/resistance, and an avenue for community building. Lastly, this thesis breaks down hegemonic ideas about decolonization in Guåhan and calls for a vast Chamorro reimagination.
Whispered memories of Belau's bais: a cherechar a lokelii
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2014-12) Iechad, Kora M.
Grounded in the Belauan proverb "A Cherechar a lokelii," this thesis explores the ways the Bai, the Belauan meetinghouse, informs Belauan principles and identity as well as the roles it pays in illuminating strategies for thinking about contemporary issues. Today people in Belau and around the world face challenges such as cultural marginalization and climate change; although separate issues, both find paths connecting one to the other. The physical structure and the social, cultural and political structures that come out of the bai indirectly demonstrate the connectivity of such issues as well as illuminating strategies for thinking about them. Specifically, using the Belauan strategy of indirect replies as a central methodology, this thesis engages in the stories painted on and told about the bai, gathered through the interviewing of Belauan elders and other scholarly research. It traces the history of Belau, from origins to colonization to political independence, with a specific focus on the bai as a key site and catalyst for Belauan identity. Ultimately, the bai gives us the foundation to begin examining strategies to address contemporary issues and challenges in addition to provoking us to further explore other types of indigenous strategies and ways of viewing the world.
Yumi olgeta papua niugini: cultural identity formations and national consciousness among urban-educated youth in Papua New Guinea
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2014-12) Hermes, Karin Louise
This thesis examines the self-identification of university-age urban Papua New Guineans and their role in nation-building. I question the role of the state and civil society in nation-building and the ideal of the nation-state model for the diverse Melanesian region. I focus on the implications of social change and social identities in urban Papua New Guinea (PNG) through globalization and migration flows from the rural to the urban. I argue that the influences of modernity and urban social change, particularly being away from customary land ties, lead to a self-identification among the urban youth towards a regional identity and a national imagery, highlighting their significant role in defining what it is to be Papua New Guinean.
Apmam Tiemp Ti Uli'e Hit (Long Time No See): Chamorro Diaspora and the Transpacific Home
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2013) Bennett, Jesi Lujan
This thesis explores Chamorro migration and settlement within new diasporic spaces like San Diego, California. It shows how Chamorros living away from their home islands still find ways to stay connected to their cultural roots through their transpacific homes and identities. The movement of Chamorros to the United States changes how Chamorros choose to articulate their indigeneity. This thesis examines the challenges and nuances of living in the transpacific diaspora through the examination of Chamorro organizations, clothing brands, and festivals. Today there are more Chamorros living away from their home islands than on them. This project shows that Pacific Islanders abroad continue to keep strong links to their home islands despite their physical location.
Stolen Identity: Defining ʻAihue From A Hawaiian Perspective
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2003) Antonio, Susan Kapulani
Making a Case For Palauans: An Analysis of Public Lands Cases in Palau
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2012) Matsutaro, Ebil
Beginning with Palauan perspectives and worldviews, this thesis traces the genealogy of the modern-day court system in Palau. It ends with an analysis of cases showing how the return of public lands in Palau has been largely impeded by the nature of a court system that came from a different set of interests than that of Palauans’ interests. The court system embodies ideologies in place that do not necessarily fit well with Palauan needs and interests. Many problems may be seen in the land cases analyzed in this thesis. As a result, it is argued that there is no better time than now for Palauans to reassess not only the way they choose to resolve conflicts, but also which ideology governs the way they decide to operate.
Vete: The Emerging Movement on Efate, Vanuatu Politics and Indigenous Alternatives
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2011) Wilson, Dorah; Pacific Islands Studies
Hua Ka Nalu: Hawaiian Surf Literature
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2010) Masterson, Ian; Pacific Islands Studies
"Pacified" Perceptions: Multiple Subjectivities and Community Management Projects A Case Study Naikorokoro Village Levuka, Ovalau Fiji Islands
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2010) Lee, Louisa; Pacific Islands Studies
Rethinking Youth Bulge Theory and Threat Discourse in Melanesia: Listening In, and Connecting With Young People in Papua New Guinea
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2011) Kaiku, Patrick; Pacific Islands Studies
In this study I critique the youth bulge theory through the ethnographic sketches of five young Papua New Guineans. Youth bulge theory is a demographic-based global discourse that has become prevalent in the sphere of security studies. In recent discussions on issues of development in the Pacific Islands, commentators argue that Melanesia is contending with growing and increasingly violence-prone generations of male youth. In this thesis, I propose that this that youth bulge theory as applied to Melanesian societies disregards the social and cultural dynamics of the context it purports to describe. I argue Papua New Guineans everyday lived experiences clearly problematize and bring to light oversimplifications of youth bulge discourse. The findings of this research posit that the cross-cutting and extended networks among younger generations of Papua New Guineans are a positive source of strength and stability largely ignored by youth bulge theorists. The culturally valued creation of extended social relationships is a critical dimension of the demographic milieu that youth bulge theory should take into account. I argue large-scale urban youth disengagement in PNG and Melanesia is a consequence of corrosive cross-cutting global influences that contemporary PNG society is reproducing. Rather than subscribing to the gloomy predictions of a Melanesia that is increasingly susceptible to youth-initiated crises and revolutions, I find that young Papua New Guineans are beholden to a range of positive socio-cultural linkages with which they identify. Context specificity and the inclusion of socio-cultural variables provide alternative ways of re-thinking the youth bulge theory in Papua New Guinea and Melanesia more generally. Youth bulge theory could become more empowering for policymakers if it were more attentive to the peoples and cultures it describes.
Rising Waves of Change: Sociocultural Impacts of Climate Change in the Village of Tafitoala, Samoa, In the Face of Globalization
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2011) Hirabe, Aska; Pacific Islands Studies
Omesubel A Klechibelau: The Rise of a New Program at the Palau Community College
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2010) Uriate, Edelene; Pacific Islands Studies
Omesubel A Klechibelau: The Rise of a New Program at the Palau Community College (PCC) explores the idea to have an established Palauan Studies program at the community college in Palau. Palau as a self-governing nation has been shaped by past colonial histories more particularly the US. This thesis seeks to highlight questions of Palauan identity, dependency, self-sufficiency, decolonization and cultural preservation. Research into PCC's history, curriculum, and the student enrollment status as well as the results of a student questionnaire supports the notion to establish a Palauan Studies program. The Palauan worldview is accentuated through a proposed curriculum and examples of course instruction independent of western philosophies and concepts. As a decolonizing process, the Palauan Studies program, situated within an educational system highly influenced and dominated by western concepts, is undergoing a similar process faced by many other island nations in the wider Pacific. From similar experiences in Oceania, the Palauan Studies program draws on broader regional themes concerning culture and education.
Pacific Voices Through Film: Film As A Vehicle In Uniting Oral and Written Traditions In Polynesia
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2000) Tupou, Michelle; Pacific Islands Studies
Film is a powerful tool in bridging oral and written traditions, as well as in the process of forming our own cultural identity. With this tool we Pacific Islanders are able to express ourselves through film, image, storytelling, through a linking of oral tradition and Western film technology. This thesis investigates the role that oral tradition plays in telling our stories through film and the role that film plays in reproducing oral traditions. Filmmaking is a medium well suited to share those stories in an non-oral society. Aotearoa has successfully made that link within its indigenous filmmaking community. While in Aotearoa, I was fortunate to interview several of these groundbreaking filmmakers (see interviews in Appendix). It is through film that we are finally able to put a familiar face to those previously created celluloid images on screen. Perhaps with indigenous Pacific Island filmmakers controlling the image, it will be a more acceptable face for us as Polynesians.
The Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana: Cultural Revitalization in a Contemporary Hawaiian Movement
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1982) Tuggle, Myra Jean F.; Pacific Islands Studies
The island of Kaho'olawe has been the focus of more than three decades of military bombing and training maneuvers by the U.S. armed forces. Since 1976, it has also been the focus of protest, sometimes volatile, by an activist organization called the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana.* The goal of this loosely organized group of individuals is to stop the bombing of the island and to have the island returned to the people of Hawai'i. In 1976, the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana emerged from the general milieu of the American 1960s protest and a Hawaiian culture renaissance, which was most visibly manifested in a resurgence of interest in traditional music, dance, and the arts. The confrontational stance of the 'Ohana made them one of the more visible and controversial organizations, among the numerous Hawaiian groups which existed at the time. In the following five years, the 'Ohana underwent several crises which challenged its existence. It survived, changed but still persistent in its goal of stopping the bombing of the island. The intent of this thesis is to analyze the nature of the Protect Kaho'olawa 'Ohana, using revitalization and contemporary social movement theories. Revitalization looks at movements as vehicles for rapid cultural change, as a Gestalt shift or "mazeway reformulation" to alleviate cultural stress. Contemporary social movement theory, on the other hand, deals with the organization of movements, with an emphasis on the dynamics of collective behavior. It is argued that the 'Ohana can be seen as 1) a revitalization movement, directed toward Hawaiians as a cultural group which has been greatly impacted by Westernization, and 2) as a contemporary social movement, directed toward a broad constituency concerned with the politics of land issues. In the context of Hawaiian culture, the 'Ohana is attempting to enhance an awareness and pride in being Hawaiian and, through this consciousness, to enhance a new Hawaiian way of life. In the context of contemporary Hawaiian society, it is involved in issues of land ownership and use, particularly in the limited distribution of power related to the control of land. In the analysis of the 'Ohana, it became clear that the manifestation of both revitalization and contemporary movement characteristics within one organization created conflicts. These conflicts seem to have been inevitable in the movement's attempts to reconcile the demands of cultivating strong cultural identification with developing support for a broader issue. Thus, a new understanding of the role of cultural revitalization in a modern social movement context also emerged.
Becoming a Factory Girl: Young Samoan Woman and a Japanese Factory
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2002) Tsujita, Masami; Pacific Islands Studies
In 1991, a Japanese corporation established an export-oriented automobile wiring factory on the Pacific island nation called Samoa. This factory currently employs approximately 1,600 local workers, predominant young single women. These women work in the space where automobile industrial culture, Japanese business philosophy, the Samoan government's development policies, Samoan tradition, and their own aspirations meet. In this hybrid factory culture, the women are required to negotiate the conflicting priorities of these distinct interests and ideologies. Since 1991, thousands of local women have passed through this wiring factory; however, their voices have yet to be adequately heard. This thesis discusses daily experiences of those factory girls and the impact their multinational employment had on their quality of lives. The study is principally based on the data collected through interviews with the factory employees and my direct observations while I worked on the shop floor in the summer of 2000.
Tirawata Irouia: Re-Presenting Banaban Histories
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1999) Teaiwa, Katerina; Pacific Islands Studies
With respect to the Banaban phosphate mining case, an Historical review reveals the complex integration of native, foreign, individual and group interests at several economic and political levels. It is amazing how far the phosphate trading empire stretched across the globe and left its stamp on the personal lives of many people, of many kinds, during a century marked by two world wars and rapidly increasing industrial innovations. How small the activities of phosphate islanders must seem at this grand level. How much smaller the voice of one Banaban descendent concerned with these concerns might be in academia. I did not approach the Banaban question in any comparative fashion because I am not ready to ignore my own personal experiences of Banaban History and histories in favor of purely objective, poetic or political analysis. I admit I fall unwillingly into that emerging mass of native voices who just want to tell our own stories" (any way we want). This step towards Banaban scholarship is not an easy task. It is tantamount to stepping off a cliff. I'm still falling and there just seems to be no groundling in this plunge. I'm not proficient enough in academic theory (of any kind) or familiar with every study conducted on a Pacific population to pretend to present something that isn't really just about what I am imagining and responding to on this journey. This paper IS about what I am thinking and the resulting interpretations and reactions often come out in running reels. These are images and words that run as fast as anything would when you're hurtling by at a hundred miles an hour. I then deliberately submit an interpretive lens through which a Banaban history is revealed in all its appropriate disordered entirety, held only together by its pensive gesturing towards the process of "decolonization" that marks much contemporary scholarship within Pacific Studies. In my case, the notions of pity, kawa, and burden, rawata, are convenient tools within the Banaban narrative but I admit up front that my approach leaves room for many more questions than answers. I will play on History and histories to illustrate the contrast between narratives of the dominant, singular "R" kind, usually simplistic and based on "fact," and the ''h'' types which are more complex and disconcerting perspectives. By examining six "representers" I will articulate my own understanding, as a Banaban by blood, of the Banaban past.
Making Myth, Making Nation: Maori Symbols and the Construction of Bicultural Identity
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2009) Tamaira, A. Marata; Pacific Islands Studies
Pereiro's Recollections of the Ponape Uprising Against the Spanish, 1890-1891
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1983) Surber, Russell Jay; Pacific Islands Studies
My motive in translating A. Cabeza Pereiro was relatively simple. While at the University I discovered that only a limited number of Pacific scholars read Spanish. I thus thought it might be useful to translate something from the Pacific Collection's extensive Spanish language holdings and thereby make it available to a wider audience. I selected Cabeza for this project because, after examining a number of books and articles in Spanish, I became convinced that his history would be of great interest to both scholars and Ponapeans. 1 hope that time will prove my choice correct. I should call attention to one or two peculiarities in Cabeza's history that made its translation somewhat frustrating. First, he was either indifferent to detail or very poorly edited by his publisher. Whatever the reason, the original work contains a number of small but irritating errors of fact. As the translator, I was faced with the problem of correcting these errors without unnecessarily disturbing the flow of Cabeza's narrative, which I believe should be read without interruption. My solution, the use of footnotes, will I hope preserve the literary merit of the work and, at the same time, make the document of more use to scholars. Where the error is clearly typographical, I have inserted a Translator's Note calling attention to the problem. I will admit my failure in reaching a solution for the other serious problem I faced, Cabeza's rather casual approach to nouns, be they Spanish or Ponapean. To cite but one example, Cabeza introduced a Spanish officer by one name and then, a few pages later, quoted him at length under an entirely different one. With respect to Ponapean nouns, Cabeza of necessity used phonetic spellings. Consequently, the spelling of a person's or place's name may vary slightly from paragraph to paragraph. Moreover, it is not clear that Cabeza realized when doing this that he was referring to the same person or place. To resolve the problem I have adopted the convention of using Cabeza's spelling of proper nouns throughout the translation.
The Legacy of the 1848 Mahele and Kuleana Act of 1850: A Case System of the La‘ie Malo‘o Ahupua‘a, 1846-1930
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1997) Stover, Jeffrey; Pacific Islands Studies
The 1848 Mahele and Kuleana Act of 1850 transformed the Kanaka Maoli land tenure system into one of private ownership. This study examines this transformation at the basic unit of the Kanaka Maoli land tenure system, the ahupua'a. The ahupua'a chosen for this study were La'ie Wai and La'ie Malo'o (La'ie) because they have and continue to be the focus of great controversy in regards to Kanaka Maoli land alienation. Part I of this thesis examines the process of land privatization and its initial effects on the Kanaka Maoli of La'ie while Part II examines the history of La'ie's Land Commission Awards between 1850-1930. This examination focusses on the legacy of Kanaka Maoli land alienation attributed to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Zions Securities Corporation in La'ie.

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