Two PhD students and one Masters student were awarded grants in the May 2024 Kākano Fund round. All applications were of fine quality and attracted the sums requested. Two students requested help with getting to a conference to give papers and two for help with thesis production – one would split the grant between the two uses.
A big thank you to the donors to this Fund and to all the full members of ASAANZ, a levy on whose membership fees provide annual increases to it. Thank you too to the supervisors for their references and congratulations to the three applicants for their success and for their research.
James Kwaimani Faiau’s PhD in Anthropology at Waikato University is due very soon. His supervisors are Dr Fraser Macdonald & Dr Fiona McCormack. James’ thesis title is: “Oli aena guri ai: An ethnography of socio-ecological relations and contemporary change in Baelelea, Solomon Islands”.
Tok stori/assisting a Baelelea tribal elder/chief prepare pounding sticks over the fire for making ngali-nut pudding called 'kata'.
James writes: “My thesis explores human-ecological relations and contemporary change in Baelelea inland community on Malaita, Solomon Islands. The thesis circumnavigates the social and ecological relations through the mediums of myths, traditional knowledge and beliefs that underscore indigenous ways of being, seeing and knowing. The Baelelea inland people on Malaita, whom I worked with, constituted elders who converted from the traditional religion ofakalo (ancestors) and first- and second-generation Christians. Apart from conversion to Christianity, the biggest culture change is that people’s lifeways and livelihoods have shifted from subsistence systems to a mixed economy of increasing dependence on cash. To counter contemporary changes, people conceptualized a more basic and sustainable lifestyle and local productivity as represented by the metaphoroli aena guri ai– ‘return to the tree root’. I use this metaphor to examine how this indigenous perspective offers a rich anthropological perspective and stimulates conversations around the revitalization of traditional knowledge and environment enwrapped in myths and oral
Garima Bisht’s PhD in Anthropology at the University of Auckland is supervised by Dr Sunhee Koo and Prof. Gregory Booth. Her title is “Cruising Hallyu: An ethnographic study on K-pop fans and fan clubs in India”. Garima will be presenting her paper in July in Perth at the Asian Studies conference. Garima writes:
A Korean dance performance organised in New Delhi, India.
“In India, Korean culture fervency has been missing other than some regions in the Northeast states where the majority interest group were young women. However, Hallyu (Korean Cultural Wave) has recently gained prominence among broader Indian consumers. Initial observations suggest that local Indian fan clubs for Korean artists appear to incorporate Indian perceptions of Korean fan organisational behaviour. Indian fandom for Korean artists and culture deserves attention because, despite the growing size and prominent engagement with and consumption of Korean culture in India, scholarship on Indian consumers of Korean culture is scanty.
This paper will present findings from ethnographic research conducted in India in early 2024 and the observation of some socio-cultural changes emerging in India, due to the Korean cultural influences and consumerism. Through this paper, the significance and attraction of Korean culture will be explored by visiting and interacting with K-Pop fans and fan-club members in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. How do they perceive Korean popular culture as different from that of India, e.g., Bollywood fandom, and in what way do they shape and internalise it as glocalised consumption of foreign cultures?”
Danielle Dudung is completing a Master of Arts thesis in Anthropology at the University of Auckland. Her supervisors are Dr Jesse Grayman and Dr Sunhee Koo. Her title is “The Lasting Gospel: An Ethnographic Approach to Funeral Music in Toraja”. She will present a paper at the Asia Studies Conference in Perth in July.
Aluk To Mate procession of Rambu Solo’ funeral in Toraja, Indonesia. The people are performing a Ma’Badong dance.
She writes: “This study focuses on the Christian communities in Toraja, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. I explore the cultural negotiations through which indigenous people adjust their pre-Christian belief systems and practices while retaining a distinct form of Christianity manifested in their daily practices. Despite the shift of the majority of Toraja people from their indigenous faith, Aluk Todolo, to Christianity, some components of the old religion have also been maintained, and funeral music is a clear example. I mainly focus on the grand funeral of Toraja, which consists of up to a week of rituals and celebrations accompanied by singing and dancing. I approach funeral music to understand the degree of negotiation that Toraja Christians performed as Christians whose identity is intertwined with Aluk Todolo and its practices. I discuss how funeral music is incorporated into the beliefs and practices of Toraja people.”
