Melanesia Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

In the late 1990s and early 2000s a wave of Ponzi schemes swept through Papua New Guinea, Australia, and the Solomon Islands. U-Vistract, the most notorious scheme, along with other fast money schemes, attracted 300,000 investors,... more

In the late 1990s and early 2000s a wave of Ponzi schemes swept through Papua New Guinea, Australia, and the Solomon Islands. U-Vistract, the most notorious scheme, along with other fast money schemes, attracted 300,000 investors, enticing them with promises of 100 percent interest to be paid monthly. Its founder, Noah Musingku, was a charismatic leader who promoted the scheme as a form of Christian mission and as the basis for establishing an independent kingdom.
Fast Money Schemes uses in-depth interviews with investors, newspaper accounts, and participant observation to understand the scheme’s appeal from the point of view of those who invested and lost, showing that organizers and investors alike understood the scheme as a way of accessing and participating in a global economy. John Cox delivers a “post-village” ethnography that gives insight into the lives of urban, middle-class Papua New Guineans, a group that is not familiar to US readers and that has seldom been a focus of anthropological interest. The book’s concern with understanding the interweaving of morality, finance, and aspirations shared by a global cosmopolitan middle class has wide resonance beyond studies of Papua New Guinea and anthropology.

The human settlement of the Pacific Islands represents one of the most recent major migration events of mankind. Polynesians originated in Asia according to linguistic evidence or in Melanesia according to archaeological evidence. To shed... more

The human settlement of the Pacific Islands represents one of the most recent major migration events of mankind. Polynesians originated in Asia according to linguistic evidence or in Melanesia according to archaeological evidence. To shed light on the genetic origins of Polynesians, we investigated over 400 Polynesians from 8 island groups, in comparison with over 900 individuals from potential parental populations of Melanesia, Southeast and East Asia, and Australia, by means of Y chromosome (NRY) and mitochondrial DNA ( ...

Chewing betel quid is a popular habit in tropical areas. It is also a known fact that oral cancer is one of the most common cancers in the Solomon Islands, where betel quid chewing is prevalent. This study explores the prevalence of betel... more

Chewing betel quid is a popular habit in tropical areas. It is also a known fact that oral cancer is one of the most common cancers in the Solomon Islands, where betel quid chewing is prevalent. This study explores the prevalence of betel quid chewing in the Solomon ...

Trade in marketplaces is central to the domestic distribution of food and other goods throughout the developing world. The commodity networks involved are often complex with numerous intermediate transactions between producer and... more

Trade in marketplaces is central to the domestic distribution of food and other goods throughout the developing world. The commodity networks involved are often complex with numerous intermediate transactions between producer and consumer. By contrast, in the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG), marketplace trade has historically occurred through very short commodity networks. This article examines the appearance and growing significance of intermediary trading in PNG's marketplaces and associated trade networks. Reselling is supporting urban livelihoods at a time when making a living in town is increasingly precarious, but the transformation of marketplaces, I argue, also threatens to reduce the agency of rural producers and erode the incomes of certain producers. Growing intermediation may also see men increasingly involved in an economic domain where women have been central. The emergence of intermediaries is globally an important historical development, and this article provides a rare study of this process within the contemporary era. K E Y W O R D S commodity networks, intermediaries and middlemen, marketplace, Papua New Guinea, rural-urban relations, trade

This study aimed to examine whether being bullied, fighting, and injury, regarded in terms of frequency and nature, were significantly associated with psychological distress and suicidal behavior, independent of substance abuse and... more

This study aimed to examine whether being bullied, fighting, and injury, regarded in terms of frequency and nature, were significantly associated with psychological distress and suicidal behavior, independent of substance abuse and parental support in adolescents. Secondary analysis of data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey from Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu was conducted. Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of being bullied, fighting and injury with psychological health outcomes (loneliness, insomnia, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt) at a 5% level of significance. A total of 4122 students were included; 45.5% were male, and 52.0% were 14 years of age or younger. Of the total, 9.3% felt lonely and 9.5% had insomnia most of the time over the last 12 months; 27.6% had suicidal ideation, and 30.9% reported at least one suicide attempt in the last 12 months. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that b...

Debates about Fundamentalist Christianity as anthropology’s “repugnant other” have provided a lively set of reflections since Susan Harding’s influential article was published in 1991. Anthropologists wishing to study fundamentalist... more

Debates about Fundamentalist Christianity as anthropology’s “repugnant other” have provided a lively set of reflections since Susan Harding’s influential article was published in 1991. Anthropologists wishing to study fundamentalist Christians have struggled to legitimise this interest to their peers. Similarly, liberal theologians regard the emergence of prosperity theology as a form of sanctified greed. For those concerned with the ecological crisis, as an endorsement of the very values of commodification that disturb the proper relations between God, people and planet. Both anthropologists and theologians have placed the prosperity gospel on the margins of their projects of inquiry.
This paper seeks to explore the apparent gap between liberal intellectuals and populist Pentecostal practice by considering the dynamics of fast money schemes in Papua New Guinea (PNG). These Ponzi schemes spread through Christian churches both Pentecostal and mainline, using the language of prosperity theology. Their success indicates a broad reach of these ideas that includes some more liberal Papua New Guinean intellectuals and makes them a “mainstream” phenomenon within PNG. My anthropological analysis of middle class Christian investors in fast money schemes indicates deeper and more philanthropic moral engagements than is commonly thought possible by critics of the prosperity gospel who see it as motivated by individualistic greed.

Report of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee on matters relating to Torres Strait

An epidemiologic transition to high prevalence of such diseases as diabetes and coronary heart disease accompanies the process of modernization/industrialization. I suggest that an equally clearly defined epidemiologic transition... more

An epidemiologic transition to high prevalence of such diseases as diabetes and coronary heart disease accompanies the process of modernization/industrialization. I suggest that an equally clearly defined epidemiologic transition characterizes malaligned and discrepant dental occlusal relations in western societies, and others undergoing urbanization, and that the rapidity of the transition is proportional to the rapidity of urbanizational change. This phenomenon rather throws the weight of suspicion toward environmental, not genetic, etiologic factors. The dental occlusal epidemiologic transition provides a model for developing further research into causes of malocclusion.

Unintentional injuries (injuries for which there is no evidence of a predetermined intent) are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although evidence demonstrates... more

Unintentional injuries (injuries for which there is no evidence of a predetermined intent) are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although evidence demonstrates unintentional injuries are preventable it is a public health challenge for many LMICs such as the Solomon Islands. Occupational therapists are well placed to contribute to injury prevention, as they have specialised skills to analyse the accessibility and safety of the environments within which people conduct their daily occupations. While the role of occupational therapy in unintentional injury prevention is well known in high-income countries, it is unfamiliar in LMICs, especially in the Solomon Islands. This integrative review aimed to explore the incidence of common unintentional injuries, and the burden in the Solomon Islands; and explore the potential role of occupational therapy in unintentional injury prevention in the Solomon Islands, based on curr...

This collective volume is the fourth in an ongoing series on key concepts in the archaeology and anthropology of religion. It offers a summary introduction about the history and current state of pilgrimage studies in anthropological and... more

This collective volume is the fourth in an ongoing series on key concepts in the archaeology and anthropology of religion. It offers a summary introduction about the history and current state of pilgrimage studies in anthropological and archaeological research, with a view to offering an updated set of critical insights to a broad international audience. Having said that, the main object of this series is to serve as a critical update on current trends and debates in relation to a Spanish-speaking readership of students and scholars dedicated to anthropology and archaeology. However the case studies that we offer are based on original (i.e. not previously published) research by Mexico-based colleagues working across a wide spectrum of global culture regions, and should therefore be of interest to other international readers. The studies in this tome range across North America (Mexico and the USA), Melanesia, East Asia (China and Tibet), the Berber regions of Morocco, and Southern Africa.

The history of the Sepik River from the perspective of the Iatmul people of Tambunum village.

Song and dance are a traditional means of strengthening culture and passing knowledge to successive generations in the Torres Strait of northeastern Australia. Dances incorporate a range of apparatuses to enhance the performance, such as... more

Song and dance are a traditional means of strengthening culture and passing knowledge to successive generations in the Torres Strait of northeastern Australia. Dances incorporate a range of apparatuses to enhance the performance, such as dance machines (Zamiyakal) and headdresses (Dhari). The dances, songs, headdresses and dance machines work together to transfer important knowledge about subsistence survival, social structure, and cultural continuity. This paper explores how celestial phenomena inspire and inform music and dance.

Some researchers believe the Melanesians are a relic population. The research, on the other hand, indicate that the Melanesians probably originated on mainland Asia and Africa. This is supported by shared genetics among Africans and... more

Some researchers believe the Melanesians are a relic population. The research, on the other hand, indicate that the Melanesians probably originated on mainland Asia and Africa. This is supported by shared genetics among Africans and Melanesian ; and the existence of African placenames in the Pacific.

Scholars have been diligent since the Renaissance in tracing the etymologies of Latin words, but it is safe to say they have generally not looked at areas as remote as Melanesia. However, there is reason to think that at least one root,... more

Scholars have been diligent since the Renaissance in tracing the etymologies of Latin words, but it is safe to say they have generally not looked at areas as remote as Melanesia. However, there is reason to think that at least one root, musa, for the banana family may have originated there, in the Papuan languages affiliated with the Trans New Guinea phylum. The paper presents evidence that the root #mugu, or something similar, is deeply embedded in the TNG and was borrowed from there to Austronesian, and made its way into Dravidian via the commerce routes across the Bay of Bengal. The term became something like *mottai in Dravidian was borrowed into Sanskrit, and thence into Persian, eventually showing up in Latin. It also appears in languages of Nepal, probably borrowed from Indo-Aryan and the Tangkhulic languages of Myanmar, which appear to be directly cognate with Dravidian. The Palaungic languages of Myanmar appear to also have a cognate of the Indo-Aryan root. From India, the root travelled west, borrowed into Farsi, Arabic, late Greek and Latin. Via Arabic, the root also made its way down the Red Sea, and to the Horn of Africa, where it appears in Amharic and Somali. A Swahili attestation is probably a direct borrowing from Farsi.

Teeth blackening is a form of body modification that was prevalent across parts of Melanesia and Micronesia. The near-permanent colouring of teeth was accomplished by applying plant-based substances combined with a unique kind of... more

Teeth blackening is a form of body modification that was prevalent across parts of Melanesia and Micronesia. The near-permanent colouring of teeth was accomplished by applying plant-based substances combined with a unique kind of ingredient, namely, different soils (asphaltic, peat swamp, volcanic or manganese-containing). Teeth that had been culturally manipulated in a more or less ritualized fashion carried a wide range of associations, embodying local aesthetic criteria and mediating physical and, in particular, sexual maturity and attraction, as well as accomplishing social enhancements that came with maturation. Betel chewing was practised in a very similar region and, though it was distinct, intersected closely with teeth blackening. Subsequent to western contact, missionary efforts succeeded in repressing teeth blackening effectively, and it disappeared rapidly across the whole area where it was once practised.

This paper examines three systems of courts of justice, each in a different country in the region of South Pacific islands known as Melanesia, where state legal systems have been adopted from former European colonial governments. The... more

This paper examines three systems of courts of justice, each in a different country in the region of South Pacific islands known as Melanesia, where state legal systems have been adopted from former European colonial governments. The systems discussed are, by comparison, “hybrid”, each of them having been established with the intention of addressing disputes among small scale social groups by less formal means or by taking greater heed of customary forms of dispute resolution. The paper applies a comparative analysis of these systems, covering their distinct history and the variances in structure, funding, personnel and jurisdictional coverage that impact on their effectiveness as state-sanctioned courts. Conclusions are offered with observations about the strengths and weaknesses of these hybrid systems and their potential for development as instruments of community-owned justice in Melanesia.

The takeover of the Gold Ridge mine by Guadalcanal militants in June 2000 followed two years of civil conflict largely involving groups from the islands of Malaita and Guadalcanal, resulting in the evacuation of Malaitans from the mine... more

The takeover of the Gold Ridge mine by Guadalcanal militants in June 2000 followed two years of civil conflict largely involving groups from the islands of Malaita and Guadalcanal, resulting in the evacuation of Malaitans from the mine area. This article traces the history of the conflict around the mine site and explores the underlying reasons for the takeover of the mine. Two rationales for the takeover are advanced: the securing of weapons and other materials to support the conflict, and ideological opposition to resource extraction, particularly gold mining. Resource-related grievances rather than greed provide the main explanation for the takeover and looting. Key concerns registered against the mine include a lack of jobs for locals and regional disappointment over the distribution of the mine’s revenue.

The first human arrivals in northern Sahul (New Guinea) encountered new environments, flora and fauna, yet they appear to have rapidly adapted to the challenges of settlement in these different ecological niches. Our paper looks at these... more

The first human arrivals in northern Sahul (New Guinea) encountered new environments, flora and fauna, yet they appear to have rapidly adapted to the challenges of settlement in these different ecological niches. Our paper looks at these adaptations and makes a contribution in understanding the temporal and geographical diversity of rainforest environments occupied by our species. Most of our understanding of these events comes from palaeo-environmental and archaeological records. Here we review the current evidence for the impact of people in forested environments with a view to model landscape management practices from the earliest arrivals at c.50,000 years ago through to the Early Holocene. The first Sahul colonisers were remarkably dynamic, attested to by their rapid dispersal across Sahul in a relatively short time span, and not all would necessarily have arrived in Sahul by the most northern pathway discussed here. The model presented here provides a heuristic framework within which new data can be tested to further our understanding of human activities and subsistence strategies across a diverse range of New Guinea landscapes.

Religious beliefs and actors have made substantial contributions to the small island states of the Pacific, which are best understood in the context of the region’s unique geography, cultures, and histories. Contemporary Faith-based... more

Religious beliefs and actors have made substantial contributions to the small island states of the Pacific, which are best understood in the context of the region’s unique geography, cultures, and histories. Contemporary Faith-based organizations (FBOs) in the Melanesian societies of Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea – whose populations, due to their small size and remoteness, were amongst the last in the world to receive Christian missions and European colonizers - include established churches, formalized service providers, social networks, accredited NGO’s, collaborative entities, and even business and media divisions which play multiple complementary and/or contradictory roles as promoters of the common interest and as protectors of sectarian interests. These tensions between “public good” activities and particularistic needs create a “fault line” in the articulation and implementation for effective social policy outcomes: due to the manner in which the Melanesian states evolved, as explained in brief below, contemporary governments seek effective partnerships with FBOs for program and service delivery at community level whilst also seeking more effective integration of policy at national level. However, whilst the close association between FBOs and social policy in the Melanesian states is appreciated by all concerned, the low rate of progress with human development indicators, and with achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, raises questions about the effectiveness of current approaches to agenda-setting, policy articulation and implementation.

I am interviewed by journalist Lucie Delaporte, on the eve of New Caledonia's independence vote, regarding the 19th-century French anarchist feminist Louise Michel. Examining questions of anti-imperialism and its intersections with... more

I am interviewed by journalist Lucie Delaporte, on the eve of New Caledonia's independence vote, regarding the 19th-century French anarchist feminist Louise Michel. Examining questions of anti-imperialism and its intersections with feminist and anarchist politics, we discuss Michel's exile to the New Caledonian penal colony in the aftermath of the 1871 Paris Commune, her engagement with indigenous Kanak culture, and her support for the Kanak's 1878 uprising against French imperial rule.

Melanesia is becoming a region of many partners , expanding diplomatic options and a new sense of independence. The wider context of the new Melanesian assertiveness is one in which China is a rising power and Indonesia is forging closer... more

Melanesia is becoming a region of many partners , expanding diplomatic options and a new sense of independence. The wider context of the new Melanesian assertiveness is one in which China is a rising power and Indonesia is forging closer links with the western Pacific. The impetus to Fiji's new assertiveness arose from the diplomatic isolation imposed upon it by Australia and New Zealand after the 2006 military coup. Papua New Guinea's new confidence is founded upon its liquefied natural gas boom. Even Solomon Islands is expanding diplomatic connections. Regionally , the change can be seen in the Melanesian Spearhead Group, which now counts Indone-sia among its members, and in Fiji's push for its own vision of Pacific regionalism. Australia and New Zealand nevertheless remain the indispensable countries in the region. Austra-lia's commitment to Melanesia remains constant but without the bold initiatives and interventionist enthusiasm of the early RAMSI years.

"Summary The aim of this meeting is to discuss local environmental knowledge in relation to policies and scientific perspectives on climate change. The purpose is for Pacific Islanders to talk about and represent their local knowledges,... more

"Summary
The aim of this meeting is to discuss local environmental knowledge in relation to policies and scientific perspectives on climate change. The purpose is for Pacific Islanders to talk about and represent their local knowledges, values and environmental practices in ways that effectively speak to national and international policy makers and climate scientists. We have chosen traditional calendars as our guiding theme because they offer a useful, organized set of systems for approaching indigenous environmental knowledges.
By placing traditional calendars at the centre of this conversation we hope to offer a space for community researchers and representatives from across the Pacific to compare and present their local knowledges in ways that can be understood and incorporated into climate studies and policy without losing their sense of origin, ownership and cultural value. This translation between local knowledge, science and policy poses big challenges, because traditional knowledge is never separate from moral and social values, nor the places where they are rooted, while the production of scientific knowledge about the environment is usually about creating abstract data that are kept separate from local and cultural considerations.
The solution that we want to explore seeks to encourage participants to think about how the environmental practices of their community fit within larger configurations across neighbouring islands in order to produce shared models of knowledge across Pacific communities with similar environments and challenges. For example, the representatives from Melanesia can relate their local experiences of the environment to broader monsoon seasons, strong cyclones, earthquakes and tsunamis, which are characteristic of the Western Pacific; by contrast, the Central Pacific, Eastern Polynesia, Micronesia, and Aotearoa will each share different sorts of cycles and challenges, as well as certain shared cultural values.
Producing regional models through the joining of local experiences can facilitate locally-grounded and collective representations of Islander knowledge - a sort of clustering that carries more weight than single case studies. This may allow indigenous knowledges to be presented to policy makers and scientists on Pacific Islanders' terms, which means not losing sight of the networks of people, places and forms of understanding that underpin these assemblages. It takes us away from "intellectual property" discussions that assume that knowledge is alienable. It is a way of bringing together different worldviews on an equal basis, rather than separating them."

This research examines Smelser’s value-added theory of collective behavior. According to Smelser, six determinants are necessary for the development of a social movement: structural conduciveness, structural strain, generalized beliefs,... more

This research examines Smelser’s value-added theory of collective behavior. According to Smelser, six determinants are necessary for the development of a social movement: structural conduciveness, structural strain, generalized beliefs, precipitat- ing factors, mobilization of participants, and social control. As a test of this analytic framework, two Melanesian cargo cult movements and the general history of these movements are investigated. On the basis of a historical and comparative analysis that relies upon both primary and secondary sources, the six factors outlined in the theory are shown to
be present. The relevance of these findings for the explanation of social movements is discussed

The Solomon Islands Provincial Government system has been in decline for at least ten years. Issues which limit the effectiveness of National Government, such as political and bureaucratic leadership, good governance, communication,... more

The Solomon Islands Provincial Government system has been in decline for at least ten years. Issues which limit the effectiveness of National Government, such as political and bureaucratic leadership, good governance, communication, morale and
human resource management, also characterize Provincial Governments. In addition, Provinces suffer from poorly defined roles and functions, inadequate funding, isolation and weak relationships with National Government. These problems have been exacerbated by the impact of the recent civil conflict particularly the severe reductions in Provincial Service Grants, the principal source of Provincial Government revenue.

Rjabchikov, Sergei V., 2017. The Ancient Astronomy of Easter Island: The Urauranga te Mahina Observatory. Polynesia Newsletter, 9, pp. 2-32. Keywords: archaeoastronomy, Easter Island, Rapanui, Rapa Nui, linguistics, Polynesia,... more

Globally, youth-related development interventions by state and non-state actors follow relatively standard-form modalities. This is true of efforts involving young people in the Southwest Pacific state of Solomon Islands. Adopting a... more

Globally, youth-related development interventions by state and non-state actors follow relatively standard-form modalities. This is true of efforts involving young people in the Southwest Pacific state of Solomon Islands. Adopting a political economy framework, this chapter critiques approaches to state-youth engagement in Honiara, Solomon Islands capital. Activities in two principal field sites are examined: ‘settlement’ communities located to the east and west of the city, drawing on interviews with young male residents in both locations. Commencing with a historical analysis, the first half of the chapter documents the archetypal approaches adopted by the Solomon Islands state and its ‘outsider’ partners to male youth, arguing that various political economy dynamics have resulted in what are largely risk-adverse, temporally-limited, selective and non-transformative outcomes. An over-reliance on ‘outsiders’ has characterised these efforts, seeing interventions overlayed with a variety of external imperatives. The second half of the chapter draws directly on the voices of young men to assess and critique youth-related interventions as practised by international NGOs and Members of Parliament in the two field sites.

In this article we discuss the possibility of presenting the unique qualities of ‘the body’ in contemporary dance practice through tailored digital choreographic objects. We reflect on some implications of abstraction in cognitive... more

In this article we discuss the possibility of presenting the unique qualities of ‘the body’ in
contemporary dance practice through tailored digital choreographic objects. We reflect on some
implications of abstraction in cognitive science, and on ‘the body’ as a site of exploration and
knowledge in the realm of social, moral, and relational being.

This paper will investigate the contexts for the mobility of outwards from Melanesia in the second half of the nineteenth century during the heyday of the South Pacific labour traffic. The trade involved the removal of South Sea... more

This paper will investigate the contexts for the mobility of outwards from Melanesia in the second half of the nineteenth century during the heyday of the South Pacific labour traffic. The trade involved the removal of South Sea Islanders' bodies for labour on colonial plantations and for other tasks, including domestic labour, within the boundaries of the British Pacific world. Encompassing Queensland and Fiji as sink destinations for the transportation of Melanesian bodies, but also other non-British colonial sites including German Samoa and French New Caledonia, the traffic is primarily remembered as a time when Melanesian working men's black-birding or indenture onto European ships saw their increased integration into webs of maritime commerce, labour and exchange. Drawing upon the foundational work of Deryck Scarr, Dorothy Shineberg and others, as well as archival research into the Western Pacific Commission records, this paper will look explicitly at questions of gender in the trade as it factored into women's participation or lack thereof in the traffic from its onset in the 1847 through to its end in Australia in 1904. In examining gender, but also questions of women's agency and entanglement in the traffic, it will offer new windows into this tainted past.