i came to new zealand knowing basically nothing
about the south pacific (i didn't even know
of tonga's existence until last year).

here are some interesting things
i learned this past trimester.

art in the pacific:

*spiritual meaning behind patterns, designs

and application of traditional oceanic tattooing.

*syncretic tapa-quilting practices

*ethnography & reenactment of cultural performances
*ethnographic collections & colonial museums

*paul gauguin's relationship with his 13 year old

tahitian girl-wife (tehamana)

anthropology in oceania:

*indigenization of christianity

*negotiation between tradition and modernity

*agency of pacific peoples in interacting with

western modes of economy, politics, religion.

*tongan diaspora and identity

*papua new guinean women breastfeeding pigs
*middle class & individualism

the pacific heritage:

*whakapapa(genealogy)

*haunani-kay trask & illegal annexation of hawaii

*language nests & language extinction & revival
*tws's 3 rationales for pacifc studies

*epeli hau'ofa's vision of "a sea of islands"

not "islands in a vast sea"

*pacific islanders imagine their universe

as composed of both land and sea;

sea not a barrier, but a highway

connecting PI peoples, cultures, heritage.

* atomic testing, expired medicine,

disease, belittlement from the west.

*poly, mela, micro- nesia

*migration from taiwan
*o oe se a?

aims and ideals of maori education:

*the history of maori education after

british colonization

*cultural assimilation policies

*problems with pedagogical approaches

to "multicultural education"

*indigenous education; comparison between

new zealand, taiwan, belize.

*peace education; pedagogy of hope

*paulo freire's pedagogy of the oppressed

*education for liberation 

overall, i have never had such passionate
teachers. they were all part pacific islander or
maori, except one (but he is cook-islander at heart)
they all poured their hearts into teaching us.
i've noticed many of their lectures were really emotional.
i am glad i picked the classes i did.
i will end this post quoting my
favorite professor in new zealand,
j. kidman: "blood is just blood."