‘Stories of long ago’ and the forces of modernity in South Pentecost
-
Murray Garde
Abstract
In the Sa language of southern Pentecost Island in Vanuatu, mythical narratives are known as dun. Notions of authenticity in the telling of dun engender debates about the status of competing versions and the links between dun and place. A current example I examine is the annual gol ‘land diving ritual’ and the disputes which have developed over who is entitled to benefit from the commercial benefits of this ceremony. Dun narratives in such contexts are increasingly being appealed to as sources of authority, capable of indexing what is considered ‘authentic’ knowledge about history, place and cultural practice and reflecting their significance as foundations for identity.
Abstract
In the Sa language of southern Pentecost Island in Vanuatu, mythical narratives are known as dun. Notions of authenticity in the telling of dun engender debates about the status of competing versions and the links between dun and place. A current example I examine is the annual gol ‘land diving ritual’ and the disputes which have developed over who is entitled to benefit from the commercial benefits of this ceremony. Dun narratives in such contexts are increasingly being appealed to as sources of authority, capable of indexing what is considered ‘authentic’ knowledge about history, place and cultural practice and reflecting their significance as foundations for identity.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editor’s note vii
- Glossing abbreviations ix
- About the authors xi
- Introduction 1
-
Inside the storyworld
- Moving through space and (not?) time 15
- We’ve never seen a cyclone like this 37
-
Telling narratives, constructing identities
- Local ecological knowledge in Mortlockese narrative 61
- Small stories and associated identities in Neverver 81
- ‘Sometime is lies’ 101
-
Narrative memories, cultures and identities
- Constructing Kanaka Maoli identity through narrative 119
- ‘Stories of long ago’ and the forces of modernity in South Pentecost 135
- Australian South Sea Islanders’ narratives of belonging 155
- Avatars of Fiji’s Girmit narrative 177
- Samoan narratives 193
- “[P]ulling tomorrow’s sky from [the] kete” 209
- Beyond exile 225
- Embodied silent narratives of masculinities 243
- Index 259
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editor’s note vii
- Glossing abbreviations ix
- About the authors xi
- Introduction 1
-
Inside the storyworld
- Moving through space and (not?) time 15
- We’ve never seen a cyclone like this 37
-
Telling narratives, constructing identities
- Local ecological knowledge in Mortlockese narrative 61
- Small stories and associated identities in Neverver 81
- ‘Sometime is lies’ 101
-
Narrative memories, cultures and identities
- Constructing Kanaka Maoli identity through narrative 119
- ‘Stories of long ago’ and the forces of modernity in South Pentecost 135
- Australian South Sea Islanders’ narratives of belonging 155
- Avatars of Fiji’s Girmit narrative 177
- Samoan narratives 193
- “[P]ulling tomorrow’s sky from [the] kete” 209
- Beyond exile 225
- Embodied silent narratives of masculinities 243
- Index 259
