Coming to the Mat

In this episode we talk with Anna Naupa, a Harvard graduate from Vanuatu about the importance of story telling in the historical record. The recent book Taf Tumas was published as an example of a locally produced historical record to highlight important contributions of people in Vanuatu in it's history since independence in 1980. The book can be found at http://www.taftumas.com .

In this three part series of celebrating Pacific Island women for their work as leaders in research and storytelling as part of the international women’s day, we had the privilege to speak to our second guest, Dr. Tarisi Sorovi-Vunidilo. Dr. Vunidilo is a renowned indigenous Fijian archaeologist, Fiji language expert, and cultural holder. She is also an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo, where she teaches courses in indigenous museology and heritage management. 

In this segment, Vunidilo unpacked her love for story-telling, and her work as an indigenous archaeologist. She uses her platform to inspire her students about the history of places, artifacts, and indigenous people. She considers herself privileged to be an indigenous person, and sees her role as a bridge between western science and indigenous people of the Pacific as well as her own indigenous Fijan people - iTaukei (literally meaning ‘owner's of the land and resources in Fiji)

When she is not teaching in her classroom, you are sure to  find her on her popular weekly platform sessions on Facebook, YouTube, and instagram called ‘Talanoa with Dr. T’ where she co-hosts with her husband to share tutorials on Fijian language and heritage - that includes Fijian archaeology, anthropology and museology. The weekly Talanoa with Dr. T is an online platform for learning and the content ranging from teaching the Fijian language, to the history of Lapita pottery and Fijan mat weaving.  

Her popular online classes have grown from just tutorials for Fijian children around the world to an additional segment where she invites individual Fijians living around the world to come on her show to share their stories in order to create a place to bring everyone together. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnLmUHiHb2i-2fCcvX6Ff6Q

https://www.facebook.com/talanoawithdrt

https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/stories/pacific/fijian-treasures-that-are-treasured-–-our-shareds

https://www.tetaumatatoiaiwi.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Indigenous-iTaukei-Worldview_by-Dr-Tarisi-Vunidilo.pdf

As we celebrate the international women’s day on the 8th of March of 2021, MWT would like to celebrate three Pacific Island women for their work as leaders in research. We would like to recognize and highlight the work of these three scholars who have been quietly working in the background as researchers and writers in their own respective fields and their contributions to the field of knowledge as research academics, as well holders and protectors of their indigenious knowledge.

In this first episode of the three part series, we will talk to Mrs. Ruth Maetala, co-founder and CEO of Dignity Pasifik, a research firm in the Solomon Islands. Ruth spoke about how coming to terms with her own indigenous identity as a Gwailao woman from the Solomon Islands has given her the passion to look at her work as a researcher differently.

Episode 10 What does it mean to be Indigenous with Kirk Huffman.

In this episode on the mat, we discuss what it means to be Indigenous. We will talk with Kirk Huffman, who is a good friend of the podcast and of Melanesian Women Today. He has worked and lived with indigenous people in many parts of the world. Kirk Huffman is both an Anthropologist and Ethnologist who pursued studies in Anthropology, Prehistoric Archaeology, and Ethnology at the universities of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Oxford, and Cambridge in the U.K.

We would like to thank the following contributors to make this episode - Vanuatu Cultural Centre for providing music; the United Nations for information in defining Indigenous; the Bougainville Island Bamboo Pipe Band, and to Agnes Binihi and her students at Tebakor College in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Finally, to our two wonderful mums who provided us with profound words of wisdom. To Mrs. Ana Tubuleca Tarere, a vey big Vinaka Vakalevu to you and to Mrs. Florence Korokoro, Tankyu Tumas for providing us your thoughts on being Indigenous.

Show notes:

Where is Eratap Village?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Eratap,+Vanuatu/@-17.7887003,168.3685829,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x6e896145023ce9b7:0xf8fba8d1c1488461!8m2!3d-17.7857045!4d168.3636007

Vanuatu Mama's English Class

https://www.melanesianwomentoday.org/mamasenglishclass

https://www.facebook.com/login.php?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FVanuatuMamasEnglishClass%2F

What is Bislama?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bislama

Peace corps volunteer says reading is power for growth

https://dailypost.vu/news/peace-corps-volunteer-says-reading-is-power-for-growth/article_47a5caaa-80b5-5ffa-9056-4094748e3e35.html

Traditional economy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_economy

The return of shell money: PNG revives old ways after Covid's blow to economy by Kalolaine Fainu in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/22/the-return-of-shell-money-png-revives-old-ways-after-covids-blow-to-economy

Barter for Better Fiji https://www.facebook.com/groups/2964591663604507/

Robert F. Kennedy's remarks at the University of Kansas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy%27s_remarks_at_the_University_of_Kansas#:~:text=It%20measures%20neither%20our%20wit,proud%20that%20we%20are%20Americans.

Rah Island, Vanuatu https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ra/@-13.7166658,167.6158237,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x6ef0c3ead7650fb3:0xcf827b6764c03687!8m2!3d-13.7166667!4d167.6333333

The Sydney Morning Herald - A palmy balm for the financial crisis by Kirk Huffman https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-palmy-balm-for-the-financial-crisis-20090209-gdtcr4.html

Pig Banks: Imagining the Economy in Vanuatu https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/1916/chapter-abstract/190515/Pig-BanksImagining-the-Economy-in-Vanuatu?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Re-imagining the economy in Vanuatu - Haidy Geismar https://www.haidygeismar.com/Publications_files/HR%20Ch1%20Regenvanu%20Geismar.pdf

A Child of Oceania, reclaiming our space as Pasifika storytellers

We spoke with Kalo Fainu via Skype from the small island of Nusa in New Ireland in Papua New Guinea. See the links below.

New Ireland https://www.google.com/maps/search/new+ireland/@-3.0798852,150.5037622,8z/data=!3m1!4b1

Nusa Island Retreat. https://www.nusaislandretreat.com/

East New Britain https://www.google.com/maps/place/East+New+Britain+Province,+Papua+New+Guinea/@-5.0766664,150.9871494,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x68c3e9222826e74b:0xccf6003af689dbd8!8m2!3d-4.6128943!4d151.8877321

Kalo's Blog and videos can be found at https://www.achildofoceania.com/home

Want to see a Kokomo Bird?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blyth%27s_hornbill

Special Thank you to:

Louise Tari of Rockhampton, QLD, Australia

Music provided by:

Gideon Kakabin & David Bridie. The Song title: a Bit na Ta from the Album a Bit na Ta

Shukura, Port Vila, Vanuatu

Learn More About Yalinu Here

In today's episode we will be discussing pandemics and depopulation across the Pacific Region in history and traditional economies. Our Special Guest today is Mr. Kirk Huffman who was the first full-time Curator of the National Museum of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre (VKS) from 1977 until the end of 1989. He studied anthropology, prehistoric anthropology, and ethnology at the Universities of Newcastle, Oxford, and Cambridge in the UK, before carrying out his cultural fieldwork in Vanuatu. As an Anthropologist and ethnologist his keen insight and experience in the region makes him an ideal person for these topics. MWT was able to speak to him from his home in Sydney, Australia.