101 East – The Fight for Rapa Nui
Can the Easter Island’s indigenous Rapa Nui win the battle for independence from Chile to protect their land and culture?
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Tag: Polynesia
“Oceania is vast, Oceania is expanding, Oceania is hospitable and generous, Oceania is humanity rising from the depths of brine and regions of fire deeper still, Oceania is us. We are the sea, we are the ocean…We must not allow anyone to belittle us again, and take away our freedom.” – Epeli Hau’ofa
This was definitely one of my favorites from the Pacific Worlds Exhibit. Each flower was a little message that people wrote about their hopes, dreams, goals for Pacific Islanders in the future (I totally forgot to take a picture of the question.) This was mine:
“There is not one Pacific
There are many
From the solid slops of Mount Hagen
and Porgera’s wealth in the west
To the Pearl locked islets
of Tuamotu’s east
From the chilly tips of Maoridom south
To the borders of the Northern territories
and her mysteries that span from equator
to Cancer.There is not one troubled region
There are many
Trade links and nuclear free zones
cohabit with foreign assistance
and internal discord
my sister does not speak with me anymore
and old ways of doing things are re-looked at
Children go to faraway places
and babai pits lie idle and still.There is not one Pacific
Only one common theme
That development is certain
Though foreign
And coconuts will continue
to fall,
The Pacific ocean will camouflage
superficial dreams
and the faint sound of drums
will still be heard
if we pause a while to listen.”♥
Our Pacific by Vaine Rasmussen
♥
Locations: 1. Ha’amonga ‘a Maui in Tongatapu, Tonga
2. Raiatea, Society Islands (French Polynesia)
3. Rull, Yap
4. Freswota, a neighborhood in Port Vila, Vanuatu (Humans of Vanuatu)
5. Solomon Islands
“Oceania is vast, Oceania is expanding, Oceania is hospitable and generous, Oceania is humanity rising from the depths of brine and regions of fire deeper still, Oceania is us. We are the sea, we are the ocean, we must wake up to this ancient truth and together use it to overturn all hegemonic views that aim ultimately to confine us again, physically and psychologically, in the tiny spaces that we have resisted accepting as our sole appointed places, and from which we have recently liberated ourselves. We must not allow anyone to belittle us again, and take away our freedom.”
♥
Our Sea of Islands by Epeli Hau’ofa♥
Locations: 1. Aoraki/Mount Cook, New Zealand
2. Majuro, Marshall Islands
3. Papua New Guinea
4. Mauna Loa, Hawaiʻi
5. Tobi Island/Hatohobei, Palau
PI LIT – Coconut Milk by Dan Taulapapa McMullin
Coconut Milk is a fresh, new poetry collection that is a sensual homage to place, people, love, and lust. The first collection by Samoan writer and painter Dan Taulapapa McMullin, the poems evoke both intimate conversations and provocative monologues that allow him to explore the complexities of being a queer Samoan in the United States.
2015 Pacific Games (XV): July 4-18
Held in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, the opening ceremony falls on the 2nd!
This will be my first year tuning in….well at least trying to. I have no idea what kind of coverage these games get here in the U.S.. I’m gonna look for some online streams and hope for the best.
I’m also going to post pics on here from their Twitter account when I can 🙂
(Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe they’re including Australia and New Zealand in the games for the first time this year too.)
SAMOA
✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽
Synopsis: Traditions say that the first people to be found on the island of Nanumea, Tuvalu, were two women, Pai and Vau. Tefolaha (a man whose true origins are debated to be either Samoan or Tongan) tricked the two women, with the use of his spiritual prowess, into thinking that he was the true founder of the land. As a result, Pai and Vau were forced to leave the island, leaving Tefolaha as the new founder, guardian and protector.
(Source: https://player.vimeo.com/)
Beauty of Oceania 