Thaaq ("Networking Relationships like Strings"): Using Oral Histories of Yapese Voyaging for Climate Resilience Through Remathau Practices of Community Engagement

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorGenz, Joseph
dc.contributor.authorTamagyongfal, Shania
dc.contributor.departmentHeritage Management
dc.date.accessioned2024-06-21T20:29:19Z
dc.date.available2024-06-21T20:29:19Z
dc.date.issued2024-05
dc.description.degreeM.A.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10790/43617
dc.subjectCultural anthropology
dc.subjectClimate change
dc.subjectClimate resilience
dc.subjectCommunity engagement
dc.subjectNavigation
dc.subjectOral Histories
dc.subjectSustainability
dc.subjectVoyaging networks
dc.titleThaaq ("Networking Relationships like Strings"): Using Oral Histories of Yapese Voyaging for Climate Resilience Through Remathau Practices of Community Engagement
dc.typeThesis
dcterms.abstractIn this MA thesis, I document oral histories of Yapese voyaging relevant to the sawei system between Yap and its outer islands. These oral histories will help strengthen the current research literature on inter-island voyaging and its community engagement, rather than just focusing on the mechanics of voyaging, which has already been thoroughly documented. The data collected from the oral histories will later be used in its application as a method of climate change adaptation with the concept of voyaging for sustainable sea transport. To ensure meeting these objectives, the research question framing this project is focused on exploring the ways in which traditional voyaging skills can re-establish community engagement between Yapese Island hierarchies. The project primarily focuses on recording oral histories, participant observation, and three forms of Yapese conversations to understand the context of how knowledge and stories are shared. From the results, there are five major themes that emerged: the sawei system, women’s roles, bodies of seafaring knowledge, perpetuation, and voyaging as a metaphor. These themes reflect the need for documentation of the traditional knowledge passed down through oral histories for a better understanding of the knowledge still accessible today and its preservation for future generations and applications. Such examples of the traditional knowledge being shared include sail weaving by women, environmental circumstances that influenced the development of voyaging networks, and the sociocultural dynamics of relationships in voyaging. In this MA thesis, I contend that the underlying relationships that once supported the Yapese ancestral voyaging networks serve as the foundation for modern solutions in facing social, environmental, and economic issues.
dcterms.extent256 pages
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.publisherUniversity of Hawaii at Hilo
dcterms.rightsAll UHH dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
dcterms.typeText
local.identifier.alturihttp://dissertations.umi.com/hilo.hawaii:10254

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Tamagyongfal_hilo.hawaii_1418O_10254.pdf
Size:
2.26 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Heritage Management