Pacific Connections Seminar Series
March 7, 12:00pm - 1:15pmMānoa Campus, 3121/3125 John Burns Hall (East-West Center)
“Who Am I to Extol Tupaia?†Tahitian Voices in a MÄori Project about the Pacific
Alice Te Punga Somerville, Department of English
When Cook and his crew visited Aotearoa in 1769, Tupaia from RaÊ»iatea not only acted as translator between Europeans and MÄori but also recorded first exchanges in a painting. Reflecting on the role of MaÊ»ohi people during these encounters, MÄori poet Robert Sullivan asks “who am I to extol Tupaia . . . who am I to say these things?†How, indeed, do we write about connections between Pacific people? In the Pacific, how can we tell stories of ourselves without telling stories of each other, and yet how do we avoid—as Sullivan puts it —“tak[ing] the middle of your throat[s]â€? Dr Te Punga Somerville will consider the contributions of Tupaia’s painting and Chantal Spitz’s writing to her book Once Were Pacific: MÄori connections to Oceania, which explores MÄori/Pacific connections at the regional and national levels. We are used to talking about the problem of disconnections between Pacific people at the regional level, often for contemporary linguistic and political reasons; what risks and possibilities emerge when we attempt to work around and beyond them?
Alice Te Punga Somerville (MÄori - Te Ä€tiawa) is an Associate Professor in English, specializing in Pacific Literatures. After receiving her PhD from Cornell University, she taught for seven years at Victoria University of Wellington. Her first book, Once Were Pacific (University of Minnesota Press 2012), explores MÄori/ Pacific connections. She also writes the occasional poem.
Throughout the spring semester for scholarly presentations from Hawai‘i and Tahiti are presented using video conference technology. These live presentations will be given by faculty at the University of French Polynesia, the University of Hawaiʻi, and the East-West Center.
Ticket Information
Free and open to the public
Event Sponsor
Center for Pacific Islands Studies, Mānoa Campus
More Information
Kathrine Higgins, (808) 956-2658, khiggins@hawaii.edu, Pacific Connections (PDF)
Tuesday, March 19 |
|
9:30am |
Graduating Student Global Seal of Biliteracy Testing
Mānoa Campus, Moore Hall 153B EWA Computer Lab
|
12:00pm |
East-West Toastmasters Leadership/Public Speaking Club Meeting
Mānoa Campus, Hemenway Hall 215
|
Thursday, March 21 |
|
12:00pm |
NDPTC Webinar - Disaster Planning for Vulnerable Populations
Mānoa Campus, Online
|
Monday, March 25 |
|
12:30pm |
Linguistics Final Oral
Mānoa Campus, Moore Hall, Room 155A and Zoom, Link Below
|
Wednesday, March 27 |
|
9:00am |
Community Dialogues: “Microaggressions” with Jessica Lau
Mānoa Campus, ACCESS Lounge, Dean Hall, room 5/6
|
11:00am |
Community Dialogues: “Microaggressions” with Jessica Lau
Mānoa Campus, Online
|
12:00pm |
Law School Admissions Zoom Information Session
Mānoa Campus, Virtual
|
3:00pm |
Fifty Years as Historians of Southeast Asia: Personal Perspectives
Mānoa Campus, UHM Music Building, Room: 36
|
4:30pm |
Student Sustainability Council Meeting
Mānoa Campus, Gilmore Hall 212
|
4:30pm |
Entrepreneurship Live x ThriveHI
Mānoa Campus, Walter Dods,Jr. RISE Center, Level 2
|
6:00pm |
Turning to the Archives to Decenter the Settler State
Mānoa Campus, Kuykendall 410
|
Thursday, March 28 |
|
9:00am |
PI-CASC Graduate Student Symposium
Mānoa Campus, Inmin Conference Room, East West Center
|
9:30am |
Mathematics Final Oral
Mānoa Campus, George 213
|
12:00pm |
Lunchbreak Mindfulness Series: The Spring Refresh
Mānoa Campus, Online
|
2:00pm |
ASUHWO General Senate Meeting
West Oʻahu Campus, Student Life Center, C-214 OR Online via Zoom
|
3:00pm |
Gaza is Palestine: On Bakers and Storytellers
Mānoa Campus, 3114 Paliuili st
|
4:30pm |
Gaza is Palestine: On Bakers and Storytellers
Mānoa Campus, 3114 Paliuili st
|
5:00pm |
Part Time JD Flex and Law School Admissions - Zoom Information Session - March
Mānoa Campus, Virtual
|
7:00pm |
Navigators Bible Study
Mānoa Campus, Honolulu Christian Church 2207 Oahu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96822
|
Friday, March 29 |
|
3:00pm |
Business Administration Final Oral
Mānoa Campus, Zoom
|
Saturday, March 30 |
|
7:30pm |
JAVANESE GAMELAN CONCERT
Mānoa Campus, Music Department Barbara Smith Amphiteater
|
Sunday, March 31 |
|
12:00pm |
Kalo Grant 3rd Round Application
Mānoa Campus, Walter Dods,Jr. RISE Center, Level 2
|