scholarly journals Canoe-carving, Lamotrek style

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Penny
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Open Ocean ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Measuring Devices ◽  
Island Communities

Micronesian traditional canoe carvers of Lamotrek Atoll are one of the few Pacific communities whose canoe carving, ocean seafaring and indigenous navigation techniques are living traditions. They sail long distances on open ocean in these craft without instruments or maps, using traditional navigation techniques. Their building procedures involve no plans, no measuring devices or numbers. This kind of indigenous boatbuilding and seafaring was once practiced by virtually all Pacific island communities over hundreds or thousands of years, but the traditional knowledge has been eradicated in all but the most isolated and impoverished communities.

Wealth and the Western Zhou

1997 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance A. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Complex Societies ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Material Goods ◽  
Island Communities ◽  
History Of ◽  
Western Zhou ◽  
Big Men

In stratified societies, accumulated material goods—be they made of metal, stone, cloth, bone, or even foodstuffs—represent the wealth and privilege of the élite within a social hierarchy. Anthropologists have shown that goods symbolic of wealth generally fall between two absolutes: alienable goods (items not tied to social membership and produced for giving, trading, or selling), and inalienable goods (items tied to social membership and imbued with a sense of the sacred history of the owner; relics found or crafted specifically to be treasured and saved). (See Weiner, 1982; Appadurai, 1986: ‘Introduction’.) The value of these objects is a measure of the power of the owner over the acquisition and distribution of desired goods. The objects in turn represent the cycles of production and exchange that provide them with a social value (Webb, 1974: 351–82). This is particularly evident in redistributive economies, such as the Native American societies of the North-West Pacific and South Pacific island communities, or certain highland South-East Asian societies where goods are collected by Big Men or chiefs and redistributed at ritual occasions. Gift-giving, often performed in association with ritual feasts involving lineage representatives, both living and dead, is a feature many of these complex societies share with ancient China.

Building Resiliency to Natural Hazards in Pacific Island Communities

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 11-30
Author(s):  
Stephen Russell ◽  
Leone Limalevu ◽  
Gurmeet Singh ◽  
Raghuvar Pathak
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Island Communities

The ‘Pacific Adaptive Capacity Analysis Framework’: guiding the assessment of adaptive capacity in Pacific island communities

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1039-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Warrick ◽  
William Aalbersberg ◽  
Patrina Dumaru ◽  
Rebecca McNaught ◽  
Kate Teperman
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Capacity Analysis ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Analysis Framework ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Island Communities

scholarly journals Linking adaptation science to action to build food secure Pacific Island communities

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 53-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Cvitanovic ◽  
S. Crimp ◽  
A. Fleming ◽  
J. Bell ◽  
M. Howden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Island ◽  
Island Communities

scholarly journals Infrastructure Resilience in the Samoas: Policy Approaches

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Richard Mowll
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Hazard Identification ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Island Communities ◽  
Infrastructure Resilience ◽  
Resilient Infrastructure

<p>‘Resilience’ is a term that is increasingly being used regarding community development issues. It is a particular issue on Pacific Islands where development issues exist, and the exposure of communities to natural hazards is apparent. Climate change is increasingly affecting Pacific Island communities. Many Pacific Island communities live on low-lying atolls, and communities on ‘high’ islands are generally located close to the coast. Both sets of communities are therefore highly exposed to storm and high seas events. Additionally, earthquake, tsunami and volcanic hazards exist. Infrastructure is a key aspect of resilience. Policies and technical issues regarding infrastructure resilience globally are the subject of a literature review. Research presented compares the policies taken to resilient infrastructure in (Western) Samoa against those taken in American Samoa. These two territories shared common cultural histories until the 19th century, both are ‘high’ islands and both face a similar range of natural hazards faced due to their relative close proximity in the Pacific Ocean. Analysis highlights where lessons can be learnt both globally and from the Samoas’ approaches to resilient infrastructure. The lessons learnt in this thesis include the value of taking a holistic approach to disaster risk reduction, involving the community in hazard identification and disaster risk reduction, and working on these issues in a timely manner. Additionally, it is seen that careful long-term planning of land use with natural hazards in mind, which is found to be an economically sound approach, is of value in disaster risk reduction.</p>

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