ANTH 370 (6 credits)
Ethnographich Field Methods
Tonga
University of Hawai`i
Summer 2004, Dr. H. Young Leslie
Students who complete this program
will
have a firm grasp on what is required to work
as a cultural anthropologist, and an initial understanding of contemporary
rural Tongan culture.
The main objectives of the Ethnographic Field School
are:
1.Provide potential cultural anthropologists with the experience of cross-cultural
ethnographic research including cultural immersion and participant
observation.
2.Teach the research methods and techniques required of cultural anthropologists/ethnographers
working in an unfamiliar society.
3.Enable students to begin to gain competence in Tongan culture and appreciation
of life-ways in a contemporary Tongan village.
4.Encourage a model and precedent for a culturally - competent Ethnographic
Field School curriculum in which the "researched" have a direct control
over & contribution to the design, content & method of what is taught.
5.Demonstrate respect and appreciation for Tongan cultural practice in
Tonga and in the researched village in particular.
6.Provide locally-relevant cultural, ecological, historic, demographic,
health and economic data collected in Tonga, to Tongans.
Prerequisites for the field school:
No previous experience in ethnographic
fieldwork or methods is required. However, the following
is important in prioritizing applicants:
1. Enrollment as a major in an Anthropology or Pacific Studies program
(or equivalent, as determined by the professor)
At least 9 credits in cultural anthropology courses (or equivalent, as
determined by the professor).
All of the above at any university in the world.
2. Capable of receiving instruction in spoken English.
3. A completed application package, submitted to Study Abroad. There
are limited spaces available and students are advised to submit their application
as soon as possible. (First deadline is Feb 17th. IF there are any spaces
left after that, the second deadline is Mar 1st)
Instructional Site
Tonga is an independent nation located in the
center of the Pacific Ocean. It is the last remaining Polynesian monarchy,
a country whose people have never lost indigenous governance, even during
the colonization era that affected so many other indigenous peoples. The
population is approximately 90% homogeneous Tongan.
The field school will take place in the Ha'apai region, located in the
geographic center, but economic periphery of the Kingdom. Ha'apai is an
area characterized by widely scattered coral atolls, reefs, open ocean and
a highly traditional, rural & subsistence economy. It offers the benefits
of a rural, 'third world' setting in a benign social and physical environment.
The field school begins in the town of Pangai,
the main island of the Ha'apai region. Here students will receive a week
long orientation. Pangai is serviced by air daily. It has a small tourist
market, some guesthouses, shops and a café. Easy to get to, to get
around, and used to dealing with strangers, Pangai provides an ideal location
for the physical and psychological transition to the village, and the perfect
place for an orientation.
Arrangements have been made for use of the entire Fifita Guest House
as accommodation in the town of Pangai for the first week of cultural orientation.
Daily class will be held at a site in Pangai, possibly the nearby Ha'apai
High School.
The main part of the field school will take place
on the separate island known locally as Kauvai. Kauvai is a site rarely
visited by foreigners and is considered by the residents to be a bastion
of traditional Tongan culture. Dr. Young Leslie has maintained a relationship
with the people of Kauvai since 1991, and has developed this curriculum
and program in conjunction with them. Kauvai is a safe, rural community
with friendly people who are doing their best to live traditional Tongan
lives, based mostly on subsistence farming, fishing and textile production.
The total island population (four villages) is 1000 persons or fewer, and
the population of the village in which we will be staying is approximately
135 people. The island has been continuously occupied for close to 3000 years,
and has a fascinating history which is tied closely to its ecology. While
facilities are rustic, and physical amenities are few, the cultural milieu
is fascinating, health risks are minimal, and the island offers excellent
opportunities for cultural immersion, socializing, observation of a wide
variety of plants, snorkeling, fishing, hiking, reef-collecting and even
horseback riding.
We have formal permission from the residents, including the elected
Town Officer and the major influential elders and women's groups in the
village, to conduct an Ethnographic Field School which will include bringing
university students from the USA, Canada or elsewhere to Kauvai for approximately
four weeks in June and/or July, of 2004. We are grateful to acknowledge
that the titled Noble and traditional chiefly estate-holder, has also
given his blessing to the endeavor.
Instruction will take place in the village hall, in local experts' homes,
and elsewhere in the community, such as weaving houses, fishing boats, gardens,
schools, churches, or other locations, as appropriate.
Several village residents, who are considered local culture experts,
have endorsed this program. These people, some of whom carry traditional
names, others especially expert in particular aspects of Tongan culture/skills,
will act as host instructors or "culture experts". This means they are willing
to be available for students to interview, to observe, to demonstrate techniques,
etc. during the course of their stay. They will also provide recommendations
regarding student's final grade (20%).
The village has recently received electricity, and I may employ a laptop
& LCD projector in my teachings. As well, many families now have VCRs.
Students may wish to bring laptop computers in addition to other field
equipment (tape recorders, cameras).
The final week of the field school will take place
in the capital of Nuku'alofa, on the island of Tongatapu. On Tongatapu,
in addition to the final exam and presentations scheduled at two different
high schools, field school participants will have the option to visit several
significant cultural sites, including:
Nukuleka (earliest known site of Lapita voyagers in Remote Oceania),
Ha'amonga monoliths,
National Cultural Center,
Royal Tombs,
Site of Captain Cook's first landing,
Craft fairs, farmers & 'flea' markets,
The Royal Church, the Catholic Basilica or the Mormon Temple at Liahona.
There will also be an archaeological dig operating in Vava'u that our
students may have the opportunity to visit.
The end of the field school will coincide with the finale of the annual
Heilala Festival celebrating the king's birthday. There will be many parades,
cultural performances and other activities for the students to enjoy.
At the end of the field school, students will have a few days before
the return flight departs. They may wish to see the highly popular Miss
Galaxy Pageant, or may decide to go to Vava'u to try whale watching. They
may also wish to take advantage of the opportunity to visit nearby Fiji,
Samoa, Aotearoa/New Zealand, or other parts of the Pacific.
Cultural Immersion & Homestay Arrangements
Cultural immersion and participant observation are the keystones of ethnographic
methods. The fieldschool will provide four weeks of intense immersion in
a small, rural, coral atoll community.
On Kauvai, several families have signed up as potential hosts for a home
stay student (one each, in most cases), and permission has been granted
to rent the village hall as a classroom for the duration of the time in
the village. The families have stated a preference for a male or female student
(this is usually based on the gender of their own children, and reflects
the brother-sister tapu which requires brothers to sleep outside when post-pubescent
sisters are present). It will be important to adhere to this request when
admitting students into the Field School.
The instructor and the field assistant will use one entire house. This
house will serve as an office for administrative work, and also give privacy
for counseling and dealing with individual student's or villagers concerns,
etc.
English is not spoken in the village. In a normal ethnographic situation,
the anthropologist would hire an interpreter while learning to speak the
language. In this abbreviated experience, translation assistance is provided
as part of the field school. Where possible, translation assistance will
be provided by the Professor (Dr. Young Leslie), the Field School Teaching
Assistant (Mrs. Drake) and / or by local Translation Assistants (TBA).
back
to top
