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Accepted Contribution:
Confronting challenges in the study of Pacific voyaging
Richard (Rick) Feinberg
(Kent State University)
In 2007-08, I was involved in a study of voyaging and non-instrument navigation among Polynesians in the southeastern Solomon Islands. I will examine obstacles we faced, from political resistance at the national level and local disputes to safety concerns and the absence of a seaworthy canoe.
Contribution long abstract:
Since the 1970s I have conducted research on wayfinding among Polynesians in the southwestern Pacific. In 2007-08, two prominent colleagues and I were involved in a study, funded by the US National Science Foundation, of inter-island voyaging and non-instrument navigation in the Vaeakau-Taumako region of the Solomon Islands' Temotu Province. This paper will examine the myriad obstacles we faced, from political resistance at the national level to suspicions and disputes within the local community, safety concerns of would-be sailors and their families, and the absence of a seaworthy voyaging canoe at the time of our project. I will describe how we navigated those obstacles, negotiating with critical government representatives, establishing friendly relations with most segments of the local population, working with islanders to repair available canoes, and finding alternatives to inter-island expeditions in traditional canoes. Such alternatives included extended interviews with respected navigators, expeditions within a few kilometers of the home island, and travel with a renowned navigator in a fiberglass motor canoe. I will describe the project's limited success and how we managed to achieve useful results despite the many challenges we faced.