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Accepted Paper:

Close encounters of the kipang kind: lessons about humanity and the world from the nonhuman little people of Australia and the Pacific  
Kirsten McGavin (University of Queensland)

Paper short abstract:

Many cultures across Australia and the Pacific acknowledge the existence of little people who are not human. In New Ireland (PNG) we call them kipang. What do encounters with and stories about kipang and their little people fraternity tell us about humanity, the world, the environment, and life?

Paper long abstract:

Many cultures across Australia and the Pacific acknowledge the existence of little people who are not human. We humans have many names for them: Menehune in Hawaii (although the question of their humanness is sometimes under debate), djan'djari in parts of Australia, kipang in parts of Papua New Guinea, veli in Fiji. They are often described as being hairy humanoids with big eyes, short in stature (about three or four feet tall) and having special skills or insight. In this article, I use case studies from Australia and the Pacific to examine kipang and members of their little-people fraternity in terms of the lessons they can teach us. In particular, I ask, "What do encounters with - and stories about - these humanoids tell us about humanity, the world, the environment, and life?" My methodological approach in collecting and analysing data adheres to the teachings of Epeli Hau'ofa, Linda Tuhiwai-Smith and Irma McClaurin in terms of "Islander-ising", decolonising and bringing a Black feminist framework to anthropology. As an anthropologist of New Zealand Pakeha and New Guinea Islands descent, I draw upon my socialisation as a mixed race woman to bring further insight to the topic.

Panel P20
Life and death, sacred and secular: thinking with and beyond species in a more-than-human world
  Session 1 Tuesday 3 December, 2019, -