Haivaro Fasu Modernity

HAIVARO FASU MODERNITY EMBODYING, DISEMBODYING AND RE-EMBODYING RELATIONSHIPS SANDRINE MARIE LEFORT ORC ID : 0002-2325-2281 Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the jointly-awarded degrees of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Docteur en Anthropologie Sociale et Ethnologie May 2017 School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne Laboratoire d’Anthropologie Sociale, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales Chair of Examiners: Pr. Adrian Little. Supervisors: UoM : A/Prof. Monica Minnegal; Dr. Peter Dwyer. EHESS : Dr. Alexandre Surralles. Jury: Dr. Neil Maclean. Dr Pierre-Yves Le Meur. Dr Brigitte Derlon. ABSTRACT AND KEY WORDS In this thesis, I analyse ways in which relations that build the lifeworld of Fasu people of Haivaro, in the northwest lowlands of the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea, have been and continue to be renegotiated and reconfigured in the context of their engagement with multiple expressions of modernity, in particular with a logging company operating on their land. I show how these transformations entail processes of embodiment, disembodiment and re-embodiment of those relations. The relationships that people develop with the human and non-human beings that populate their environment are diverse and context-dependent. They emerge and consolidate as people engage with that environment and where the latter changes – either abruptly or gradually – so too the relations that built their lifeworld also change. In the years before 1996, several logging and oil companies operated in the Haivaro region. Fasu people engaged with these only sporadically. In 1996, however, a logging company established a base camp 3km northeast of Haivaro and remained there until 2016. This company was operated by the Malaysian Rimbunan Hijau group (RH). Timber extraction began on the land of Haivaro people and they engaged with this company more intensely than with any other. Two kinds of influence were significant. On the one hand, Haivaro people became connected to the outside world in ways they had never previously experienced or contemplated and, on the other, their immediate physical environment underwent substantial transformations such that, in some ways, it became foreign to them. These changes have had – and continue to have – impacts on the ways Haivaro people understand their relationships to the land, to their human and non-human neighbours and to the wider world. These relationships are integral to the ways in which Haivaro Fasu construct their identity and, as these relationships are renegotiated, so too identity is reconfigured. i The relationships of fatherhood, brotherhood, conjugality, gender and otherness that are the focus of this study were deeply associated with the representations people at Haivaro had of bodily substances. In that sense, they were deeply embodied. In the modern context, a greater emphasis has been put on the performance of specific forms of reciprocity in creating and maintaining these relations. In some ways, they have been partly dis-embodied. Concurrently, new or modified forms of relations appeared that people at Haivaro attempted to integrate – to tame – by re-embodying them. In this thesis, I discuss such processes and their implications for ways in which Haivaro people now engage with the world. Keywords: Fasu, Haivaro, Social change, Papua New Guinea, Logging, Modernity, Reciprocity, Relations, Body. ii DECLARATION This is to certify that: i. The thesis comprises only my original work towards the PhD, ii. Due acknowledgment has been made in the text to all other material used, iii. The thesis is fewer than 100 000 words in length, exclusive of tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices. Je certifies que: i. Cette thèse comprend uniquement mon travail original pour l’obtention du Doctorat en Anthropologie Sociale et Ethnologie, ii. Tout autre travail utilisé dans cette thèse a été dûment référencé, iii. Cette thèse comporte moins de 100 000 mots, à l’exclusion des tableaux, cartes, bibliographie et annexes. Signature Date 15/05/2017 Sandrine LEFORT iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Fasu people of Haivaro who welcomed me in their village and took care of me during my fieldwork. I could not expect better and more patient hosts. I would like to thank more particularly Ruben Hoari who welcomed me so warmly in his home, with his family, and who played the remarkable role of mediator and translator. He made me feel at home with his community, and I am infinitely grateful to him for his patience with me and the outstanding work accomplished. I also would like to thank all Haivaro residents who made my fieldwork such a wonderful experience, and particularly Sakame Honome, Hemo Honome, Unuasi Ruben, Mark Samoko, Hai Samoko, Parawi Meate, Honome Hasupie, Pokapi Samoko, Robert Bosoraroe, Tom Siaro, Peter Tabaye, Mekaroe Erae, Amenahu Hasupie, Gibson Erae, Keate Bosoraroe, Sukapo Sapie, Kanau Hapau, Sere Wako, Lafame Hoari, Sapa Tiyape, Ayo Peter and Nea Senaniye. A particular thought goes to all the children and their incredible candour, and particularly to Konake, Nelson, Kere and Hasokae. They filled my heart with joy and laughter throughout my stay. My sincere thanks go to my supervisors Peter Dwyer and Monica Minnegal for their continuous support, patience and availability. They shared with me their immense knowledge about – and love for – Papua New Guinea, and I am sincerely grateful for that. Their encouragement all along the way was infinitely precious. I also would like to thank my supervisor Alexandre Surralles for his valuable advice and for having followed me for many years, from Africa to Papua New Guinea. His sincere benevolence has been very precious. I would like to thank the board of examiners who have accepted to read this thesis and to participate to my defence. My research was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant (DP120102162) awarded to Monica Minnegal, Peter Dwyer and Florence Brunois. It iv was also supported by a Graduate Research Scholarship and a Graduate Research in Arts Travel Scheme awarded by the Faculty of Arts of the University of Melbourne. I would like to thank those institutions that made my fieldwork possible in the best conditions. I would also like to thank Florence Brunois for having offered me the opportunity to do this thesis, and for having introduced me to the Fasu of Haivaro and shared with me her passion for Papua New Guinea. My warmest thanks go to Maurice Godelier, who shared with me his own experience in Papua New Guinea. It was an honour and his story was a magical moment that will remain in my memory. I would also like to acknowledge Philippe Descola, who accompanied me all along the way and encouraged me many times. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank my friends and family who supported me throughout the initiatory journey that was my fieldwork and the writing of this thesis. A particular thought for Sophie, who remains in my heart, for all the precious help and support she provided to me. My sincerest thanks also go to Stephanie and Sandie for their constant encouragement. I would like to warmly thank my parents: my father who taught me that what I could accomplish in my life had no limits than those I would set myself; my mother who transmitted me her knowledge in human relations and her love for nature. I have no word to express how much I love them. Last but not least, I would like to thank my dearest love Parawi, who helped me so much in all the moments of doubt that punctuated this experience. Ano ne himu kara purarakae. v TABLE OF CONTENT Contents ABSTRACT AND KEY WORDS .................................................................................................... i DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................ iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................iv TABLE OF CONTENT ................................................................................................................vi TABLE OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ viii INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 About the world and engagement...................................................................................... 1 About social change ............................................................................................................ 2 About relations ................................................................................................................... 3 About natural resources extraction in Papua New Guinea ................................................ 5 About the particular ethnographic case ............................................................................. 7 About the proposed research ........................................................................................... 11 About the methodology ................................................................................................... 12 Research outline ............................................................................................................... 15 BEING A WAFAYA: Building a world by taking care .............................................................. 19 Introduction .....................................................................................................................

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