Working Together in Vanuatu Research Histories, Collaborations, Projects and Reflections Working Together in Vanuatu Research Histories, Collaborations, Projects and Reflections Edited by John Taylor and Nick Thieberger m THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY E PRESS E PRESS Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at: http://epress.anu.edu.au/ National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: Working together in Vanuatu : research histories, collaborations, projects and reflections / edited yb John Taylor and Nick Thieberger. ISBN: 9781921862342 (pbk.) 9781921862359 (pdf) Subjects: Cross-cultural studies--Vanuatu--Congresses. Social sciences--Methodology--Congresses. Social sciences--Network analysis--Congresses. Vanuatu--Social conditions--Congresses. Other Authors/Contributors: Taylor, John. Thieberger, Nicholas. Dewey Number: 303.4833 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU E Press Cover image: Cover photograph by John Taylor, taken at the Vanuatu Cultural Centre, November 17, 2006, during the ceremony to award Ralph Regenvanu (former Director of VNCC and VKS) with the customary title of Libehkamel Tah Tomat. The title was bestowed by the late Chief Matthias Batick, former fieldworker from Lorlow, South West Bay, Malakula. Printed by Griffin Press This edition © 2011 ANU E Press Contents Illustrations . ix Acknowledgements . xi Map of Vanuatu . xiii Introductions Welkam Toktok . xvii Jif Kalkot Murmur Welcome Speech . xix Chief Kalkot Murmur Fes Toktok . xxi Chief Paul Tahi (Presiden blong Malvatumauri) Opening Speech . xxiii Paul Tahi (President of the Malvatumauri) Editors’ Introduction . xxv John Taylor and Nick Thieberger Histories 1. Some Reflections on Anthropological Research in a Colonial Regime . 1 Michael Allen 2. The Research Context in New Hebrides-Vanuatu . 11 Robert Tonkinson 3. Threading Many Needles: Ins and Outs of Anthropological Research in Pre-Independence Vanuatu . 27 Ellen E. Facey Collaborations 4 . Big Wok: The Vanuatu Cultural Centre’s World War Two Ethnohistory Project . 43 Lamont Lindstrom v 5. Olgeta Stori blong Wol Wo Tu (The Stories of World War Two) . 59 James Gwero 6. Diksnari blong Aneityum (The Aneityum Dictionary Project) . 67 Phillip Tepahae 7 . Discovering One’s Past in the Present . 73 Mary Patterson, Koran Wilfred and Ileen Vira 8 . Ol Woman Filwoka (The Women Fieldworkers) . 95 Jean Tarisesei 9. Women Fieldworkers’ Collaborative Research: On the History of House-Girls in Vanuatu . 99 Margaret Rodman, Leisara Kalotiti and Numalin Mahana 10. Myths and Music of Futuna, Vanuatu: Past and Present in Dialogue . 115 Janet Dixon Keller and Takaronga Kuautonga Projects 11 . Welkam Toktok (Welcome Speech) . 125 Ralph Regenvanu (Daerekta: VKS mo NKK) 12. Vanuatu Nasonal Film Unit . 133 Jacob Kapere 13. The Digital Archive and Catalogues of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre: Overview, Collaboration and Future Directions . 141 William H. Mohns 14. Risej Long Ejukesen blong olgeta Pikanini long Saot Ambae (Researching Childhood Education in South Ambae) . 151 Roselyne Garae 15. Risej long Kakae blong Disasta long Tanna (Researching Disaster Food on Tanna) . 155 Numalin Mahana 16 . Olpoi Village Pottery Making Today . 159 Yoko Nojima 17 . The Kastom System of Dispute Resolution in Vanuatu . 175 Miranda Forsyth vi 18. Heritej Saet blong Roi Mata (The Roi Mata Heritage Site) . 183 Douglas Kalotiti Reflections 19. Olfala Histri Wea i Stap Andanit long Graon. Archaeological Training Workshops in Vanuatu: A Profile, the Benefits, Spin-offs and Extraordinary Discoveries . 191 Stuart Bedford, Matthew Spriggs, Ralph Regenvanu and Salkon Yona 20. Smol Toktok long risej blong Kastom (Some Brief Words on Researching Kastom) . 215 Martha Alick 21. Learning How to Relate: Notes of a Female Anthropologist on Working with a Male Fieldworker in Vanuatu . 217 Sabine Hess 22 . Wok Olsem wan Filwoka (Working as a Fieldworker) . 223 Elsy Tilon 23. Shifting Others: Kastom and Politics at the Vanuatu Cultural Centre . 225 Benedicta Rousseau Epilogue: A Personal Perspective on Afta 26 Yia: Collaborative Research in Vanuatu since Independence . 239 Margaret Jolly vii viii Illustrations Figure 1.1 Port Vila, October 1958. 3 Figure 1.2 Jean Guiart at work in Mangarongo village, Emau, 4 November 1958. Figure 1.3 Isaac Vira (Navuti Elder) and Abel Bani outside 5 Nduindui Church, November 1960. Figure 1.4 Emmanuel Vira Lalau with a bag of kava roots, 7 Lovanualigoutu, May 1980. Figure 1.5 Michael outside his hut in Navuti Village with the BR 3 8 bike, September 1960. Figure 2.1 Elder Maxi Solomon with some of his family at Maat 15 Efate; he was a major force for change in both Southeast Ambrym and the relocated village of Maat. Figure 2.2 Colonial Vila: awaiting the arrival of General De Gaulle 16 at the French War Memorial, 1966. Figure 2.3 Maat and Mele children re-enacting at a school concert 17 the arrival on Efate of the first Christian missionaries. Figure 2.4 Maat Village, Efate: the village choir in an open-air 19 performance of hymns. Figure 2.5 Southeast Ambrym: loading copra, the area’s major cash 21 crop. Figure 2.6 Southeast Ambrym: Bonne Annee celebrants, early New 22 Year’s morning, 1978. Figure 2.7 Southeast Ambrym: preparing Sunday laplap puddings, 23 Endu Village. Figure 4.1 Santo, March 1944. 44 Figure 4.2 American labor corps supervisors including George Riser 48 with Loumhan Isaac, Johnson Kiel, and Simon Nuvo. Figure 4.3 Titus Molirani. 49 Figure 4.4 Samuel Tapahan. 51 Figure 4.5 Tannese labor corps members camped at Tagabe. 53 Figure 7.1 The unexpected discovery that Chief Tofor has spent the 87 night in the village requiring presentation of food and meat caused consternation. Koran’s father Jonsen stands on the right, Tofor, facing away from the camera is wearing the striped calico over his nambas. Fona Village 1968. ix Working Together in Vanuatu Figure 7.2 Ileen Vira with three of the teachers at the Ranon 90 Secondary School North Ambrym. Figure 7.3 Franky Steven with Koran Wilfred at Fanafo October 92 2004. Figure 7.4 Koran holds one of the coins minted for Nagriamel (left) 92 and another for Solomon Islands. Figure 9.1 Women fieldworkers at the conference in 2006, 102 including Leisara Kalotiti (far right) who contributed to House-Girls Remember. Figure 9.2 Tanni Frazer, Netty Joseph and Francoise Molwai at the 108 house-girls’ workshop in 2001. Figure 9.3 Two unidentified house-girls from the 1950s. 113 Figure 16.1 Map of Espiritu Santo. 160 Figure 16.2 Schematic drawing of Olpoi-style pottery. 161 Figure 16.3 Maj cooking. 163 Figure 16.4 Olpoi pottery. 163 Figure 16.5 Preparing clay. 165 Figure 16.6 Coiling the clay. 165 Figure 16.7 Decorating the pot. 166 Figure 16.8 Smoothing the surface of the pot. 167 Figure 16.9 Placing firewood against the pots on the hearth platform. 168 Figure 16.10 Fired pots are left outside until next morning. 168 Figure 19.1 Excavation, sieving and sorting, Arapus site, West Efate 194 2001. Minister of Education Joe Natuman (centre) visits the site. Figure 19.2 Excavators Joel Iau (filwoka south Tanna) and Douglas 195 Kalotiti (filwoka west Efate) recording excavated depth, Arapus site, West Efate 2001. Figure 19.3 Excavation, sieving and sorting, Vao Island 2003. 197 Figure 19.4 Shell analysis workshop, Uripiv Island, Malakula 2002. 198 Figure 19.5 Richard Shing leads a public presentation on Vao Island 200 2003. Figure 19.6 Vanuatu Lapita stamp issued in 2005. 201 Figure 19.7 Takaronga Kuautonga at the Australian Museum 205 restoring the Lapita pots. x Acknowledgements The diverse combination of shared work that has gone into producing this volume, as with the conference from which it derives, is aptly summarised in the title. We would first like to acknowledge the blessing and support of the National Government of Vanuatu and of the Vanuatu National Council of Chiefs, and our appreciation of the Vanuatu National Cultural Council in allowing this project to take place. We are especially grateful for the ongoing efforts of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre and National Museum in sharing a growing wealth of human, archival and other resources with all researchers, in continually driving forward new, exciting and socially-relevant research projects, and in providing the facilities required for hosting events such as the conference Afta 26 Yia, from which this book originates. The conference was funded by the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Asia-Pacific Futures Research Network. During the course of this project and the subsequent editing of the manuscript, John Taylor has been first a postdoctoral fellow and then visiting fellow at the Gender Relations Centre (ANU), and then Simon Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, and received funding from the Wenner-Gren Foundation. Nick Thieberger was an ARC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Assistant Professor at the University of Hawai’i and an ARC QE2 Fellow at the University of Melbourne. In the production of this volume we are especially grateful to Margaret Jolly and Stewart Firth. For her careful and sensitive copyediting, we thank Carolyn Brewer. We thank all of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre staff members who assisted the conference conveners, Nick Thieberger, John Taylor and Stephen Zagala; especially former director Ralph Regenvanu, current director Marcelin Abong, and Heneline Halele and colleagues for recording and transcribing the conference proceedings. Likewise we thank Mary Patterson and Stephen Zagala for their work in producing this manuscript. We applaud all of those conference participants—ni-Vanuatu and foreign researchers, fieldworkers, dignitaries, and all others who took part—who worked together so enthusiastically in producing what turned out to be a most memorable event, and who in the majority of cases travelled great distances to do so.