Between Acceptance and Resistance: The History of Tourism and Indigenous Performance in the South Pacific (1945-Present)
Advisor Information
Kent Blansett
Location
UNO Criss Library, Room 231
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
3-3-2017 1:45 PM
End Date
3-3-2017 2:00 PM
Abstract
Throughout my undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO), I have had the fortune of exploring innovative topics of historic research that have laid the groundwork for my scholarship as a historian. Upon taking Global Indigenous History with Dr. Kent Blansett, Assistant Professor of History and Native American Studies at UNO, Global Indigenous History became my primary specialization.
The central focus of my research involves a study of the South Pacific Indigenous populations and their sophisticated use of nationalism tied to performance and tourism. This study will contrast two Indigenous populations, the Aboriginals of Australia with the Maori of both New Zealand and Cook Islands. I plan to explore all aspects of performance, from dance and music to cinema and storytelling. While secondary books and primary sources can provide some introductory insights into this fascinating field, current literature only reveals one part of a much more complex story. In her book Telling theStories, Mary Rose Casey of Monash University in Melbourne explains how preservation of culture through performance allows contemporary Aboriginals to continue a life similar to their ancestors within Australian Theater. Dr. Casey’s research is important because it essentially eliminates the many colonial assumptions and generalizations often associated with Indigenous performance. Simply put, not every Aboriginal plays a didgeridoo or throws a boomerang and not every dance is a battle cry as in the Maori Haka. This fundamental idea provides greater scholarly interpretations about the effects of tourism and colonization on the advent and evolution of Indigenous performance throughout the South Pacific. These scholarly interventions inform the basis of my research. Within an ever-changing world, Indigenous societies and nations must utilize performance to promote cultural preservation and understanding. Through the art of performance, Indigenous societies maintain a rich balance of honoring modern perspectives while reinforcing their sovereignty and cultural relevance on a world stage.
Between Acceptance and Resistance: The History of Tourism and Indigenous Performance in the South Pacific (1945-Present)
UNO Criss Library, Room 231
Throughout my undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO), I have had the fortune of exploring innovative topics of historic research that have laid the groundwork for my scholarship as a historian. Upon taking Global Indigenous History with Dr. Kent Blansett, Assistant Professor of History and Native American Studies at UNO, Global Indigenous History became my primary specialization.
The central focus of my research involves a study of the South Pacific Indigenous populations and their sophisticated use of nationalism tied to performance and tourism. This study will contrast two Indigenous populations, the Aboriginals of Australia with the Maori of both New Zealand and Cook Islands. I plan to explore all aspects of performance, from dance and music to cinema and storytelling. While secondary books and primary sources can provide some introductory insights into this fascinating field, current literature only reveals one part of a much more complex story. In her book Telling theStories, Mary Rose Casey of Monash University in Melbourne explains how preservation of culture through performance allows contemporary Aboriginals to continue a life similar to their ancestors within Australian Theater. Dr. Casey’s research is important because it essentially eliminates the many colonial assumptions and generalizations often associated with Indigenous performance. Simply put, not every Aboriginal plays a didgeridoo or throws a boomerang and not every dance is a battle cry as in the Maori Haka. This fundamental idea provides greater scholarly interpretations about the effects of tourism and colonization on the advent and evolution of Indigenous performance throughout the South Pacific. These scholarly interventions inform the basis of my research. Within an ever-changing world, Indigenous societies and nations must utilize performance to promote cultural preservation and understanding. Through the art of performance, Indigenous societies maintain a rich balance of honoring modern perspectives while reinforcing their sovereignty and cultural relevance on a world stage.