Supporting the Identity, Community and Culture
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Supporting the Identity, Community and Culture of Climate Vulnerable Peoples: A Critical Interdisciplinary Approach A thesis submitted by Vicki Erin Flack (BA (Combined Hons) Art History and Theory; Political Studies) Of the Institute for Social Justice, Faculty of Education and Arts, Australian Catholic University On the 26th of February, 2016 Towards the degree PhD in Social and Political Thought To the Graduate Research Office of the Australian Catholic University PO Box 968 North Sydney, NSW 2059, Australia. Declaration of Authorship and Sources: This thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma. No parts of this thesis have been submitted towards the award of any other degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution. No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgment in the main text of the thesis. All research procedures reported in the thesis received the approval of the relevant Ethics/Safety Committees (where required). I can confirm that this thesis was researched, written and edited without any collaboration or assistance of another person or persons. Professor Allison Weir and Dr Nell Musgrove, my supervisors, provided oral and written feedback with respect to the preparation of my final text. In addition, editorial advice was received from Mona-Lynn Courteau. Candidate’s Signature: Date: 26/02/16 ii Acknowledgements: Although this thesis is sole-authored, others have contributed to it in countless ways. My thanks are given chronologically, rather than in order of importance. In light of this, I start several years prior to the thesis, before there was even an inkling that a PhD was on the horizon. It begins in Samoa where I first experienced in a deeply embodied way what it was to be immersed in a unique, vibrant, and exciting community that was so different from anything I’d ever known. To those who shared their world with me, thank you – it meant so much to me and I will never forget it. I also want to thank those who have not only fostered a love for interdisciplinary work but also provided some of the tools for undertaking it. I begin here with my honours supervisor, Associate Professor Erika Wolf, who first encouraged me to do an interdisciplinary thesis and then later steered me towards an interdisciplinary program that strove towards social justice. This was the Doctoral Program in Social and Political Thought, beginning at Western Sydney University, and then later finding a home at the Australian Catholic University. To the former staff and students of this program, thank you for providing me with such valuable insights into the complex task of carrying out interdisciplinary work. To my fellow students, I am so grateful that I got to go on this journey with such an inspiring and supportive group of people. In particular, thank you to Simon Dougherty, Anne O’Brien, Jack Isherwood, Kelly Dombroski, Mahmoud Pargoo, Mirjam van der Heide, and Riikka Prattes. To the various administrative staff who have provided valuable support along the way, thank you so much for all your efforts. Thanks also to my former supervisors, Professor Allison Weir and Professor Katherine Gibson, for the practical and intellectual help with the early stages of this project. My deep-felt thanks also goes out to those involved in the field research. Thank you for allowing me to learn not only about weaving but also about life in Nukunonu and Wellington. To those that hosted Meli and I in one capacity or another, thanks so much for making us feel at home. I hope to one day be able to return your hospitability. Thanks also to Aleki Silao, Paul Wolffram, Judith Huntsman, Sean Mallon, Zak Patelesio, Filipo Perez, Keli Kalolo, the Lino Isaia family, and Malia Nive Ahelemo for their help with the project. Thank you also to Meli – the iii research on weaving would not have been possible or worthwhile without you. Thank you for collaborating with me, and for sharing your homes and meaningful places. Thank you also to my friends and family who have had key roles in supporting me during this journey. To Martin, my husband, for being by my side throughout this journey and for always supporting me no matter what. In particular, thank you Martin for the trees, the random outings, and for taking such good care of our little family while I worked on the thesis. To my kids, Ollie and Ivy, thank you for making my thesis breaks such a hilarious and wonderful time, for accepting when ‘mama’ has to go to work, and for loving without restraint when I return. To our dog, Indi, thank you for being my constant companion as I worked on the thesis. To my extended family, thank you so much for the invaluable – and quite frankly countless – forms of emotional and practical support that you have unquestioningly provided over these years. And to my friends, thank you for filling my life with an abundance of laughter, joy, and unconditional love. Finally, special mention needs to be made to those in my academic home that enabled me to see this project through to the very end, specifically the Faculty of Education and Arts, as well as my supervisor, Dr Nell Musgrove. To the Faculty of Education and Arts, thank you for providing the flexibility and time needed to finish this project in less than straightforward circumstances. To Nell, you joined my panel late in the game and from the very beginning were determined to see me through. Without your constructive feedback, commitment, and unwavering encouragement and support, this thesis would never have been completed. I honestly cannot thank you enough for helping me weave the various threads of this thesis together in ways that truly honoured the goals and ethics of this project. I will be forever grateful for having had you as a supervisor. iv Illustrations Figure 1: Map of Tokelau...................................................................................................................... 23 Figure 2: Nukunonu’s height above sea level ....................................................................................... 26 Figure 3: Warrior Day of Action 2013 .................................................................................................. 30 Figure 4: Woven bracelet ...................................................................................................................... 75 Figure 5: One of Tokelau's Ferries ........................................................................................................ 79 Figure 6: The Roman Catholic Church Whinagalo Paia .................................................................... 143 Figure 7: Dyed pandanus leaves .......................................................................................................... 168 Figure 8: Meli heading to the Feast Day of Christ the King church service ....................................... 170 Figure 9: Woven flower used to decorate church. ............................................................................... 171 Figure 10: The Lotokie ........................................................................................................................ 172 Figure 11: The Fatupaepae Centre ..................................................................................................... 174 Figure 12: Rolls of dyed pandanus to bring back to New Zealand ..................................................... 182 Figure 13: Pandanus leaves in the sea. ................................................................................................ 183 Figure 14: Meli demonstrating how to protect thumb while stripping the leaves ............................... 184 Figure 15: Meli showing a bracelet made from pandanus offcuts ...................................................... 198 Figure 16: A typical house in Nukunonu ............................................................................................ 200 Figure 17: The layout of the stage in Te To' kie i Nukunonu .............................................................. 210 Figure 18: Image showing papers on stage to help guide performers as well as the mixture of clothing worn by performers ............................................................................................................................. 211 Figure 19: Meli holding a photo of her parents while acknowledging those who helped make Te To' kie i Nukunonu ..................................................................................................................................... 213 Figure 20: Male performers in Te To’ kie i Nukunonu ........................................................................ 216 Figure 21: Meli explaining how women collectively go to the lotokie to harvest the leaves ............. 217 Figure 22: Performers dancing with seemingly unrestrained joy ........................................................ 217 Figure 23: Audience members spontaneously deciding to join in the dancing ................................... 218 Figure 24: Examples of the everyday type of weaving ....................................................................... 230 v Abstract This thesis is an exploration into some ways in which outsiders might provide useful forms of support to a people faced with having to adapt their cultures and communities, following the loss of a place due to climate change. This exploration is particularly directed at outsiders – people external to the