Tā ki ‘uta, tā ki tahi : Biodiversity, conservation, a foundation for sustainable island life
Sponsored by the Institute of Education, University of the South Pacific, 2 August 2012
Notes prepared by 'Ana 'Ake

A record breaking crowd of over one hundred high school and tertiary students with teachers, scholars and community members showed up for IOE’s fourth talanga for the year with Professor Randy Thaman. Randy is no stranger to Tongan waters; he came here first as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1970’s. He is married to our heilala Professor Konai Helu-Thaman. He has published in many peer-reviewed journals and is the longest serving academic staff at the University.

The focus of his talk was biodiversity and the importance of actually knowing what limited resources we have and not exploiting them beyond their means. He highlighted the importance of merging traditional indigenous knowledge with the best of modern science for the preservation of flora and fauna. We were encouraged to ‘bank’ our knowledge and our language as our capital. The indigenous and traditional knowledge that were passed down from our forefathers on identifying and classifying species is being rapidly lost. The basic assumption that euro-centric development of urbanization and industrialization is the way forward does not work for smaller island nations such as ours. Thaman urged the crowd to think of biodiversity as a bank account that we could withdraw from while, at the same time, sustainably protecting a portion for future use.

The transition from traditional to modern society saw casualties in the loss of endemic species. While some plants have survived the onslaught of invasive species, the first to go are always our traditional plants. Endemic species such as the malau of Niuafo’ou are on the verge of extinction.
1992 saw nations come together during the Rio Earth summit where for the first time the environmental impacts of development were recognized as global phenomena. Ten years later in Rio+10, two more pillars were added to sustainable development of the environment: economy and society. Goal number seven of the millennium development goals addresses indigenous people and the protection of indigenous knowledge and biodiversity. Randy brought our focus to the need for marine protected reserves where marine animals and mammals can reproduce. That struggle has been complicated by climate change and ocean acidification. The emphasis is on the protection of biodiversity, whether in marine or land life, because it is the only insurance that humans have to ensure survival. We need to be obligated to our environment because without it, we die.

Randy suggested that when you’re out in the field or swimming in the ocean, try to identify at least five different species and log them. Use this exercise as a challenge to yourself to know more about the lives of living organisms around you. Then ask your grandfather or grandmother what their indigenous names are. Learn to care more about your surrounding and how you treat it and how you take care of it because there’s no use in appreciating something that once was. Always remember Thaman’s words – biodiversity is life, biodiversity is our life.

Sponsored by the Institute of Education, University of the South Pacific, 21 June 2012
Notes prepared by 'Ana 'Ake

The evening began with a discussion of cultural values. Fuiva Kavaliku was given the opportunity to voice her opinion on traditional values of the koloa fakaTonga, especially the ta’ovala, fala and ngatu. In her opinion, the weaver played a great role in the significance of the Tongan mat because the finer the weaving of the mat, the experienced the weaver and the more important the wearer. However, that was in ancient days when certain women wove for certain nobles and chiefs. Nowadays, weavers have learnt from each other and weaving has become a means of earning an income. Alison Tu’i’onetoa asked whether the commercialization of weaving is a new trend, as she has been hearing a lot of talk about lau fute (Tongan metric system for weaving). Kevin Smith of IOE asked whether there could be an opportunity for unintended consequences and whether men participated in the process. According to Fuiva, men in the islands contributed by taking on the physically demanding tasks of cutting down pandanus and mulberry and taking them out to sea to be washed. In a monetary economy where the weaving now contributes more to the financial well being of the family, it is considered a primary task for both men and women. Fuiva also mentioned that certain ta’ovala were worn by certain people like the nobles and chiefs and the Royal family who owned named kie ha’amoa passed down from their forefathers and were symbols of traced lineage.

In the past the Tongan wealth was judged by how much kolo fakaTonga one owned and was showcased in times of weddings, funerals and birthdays. The true value of koloa fakaTonga has now diminished in meaning but not in size. Tongans, especially in the States, have found a new way of showcasing their wealth by purchasing left and right and going beyond the call of duty to give out koloa in every ceremony to as many people as they see fit.A great concern raised by Alison is the documenting of such traditional knowledge from the elders and the importance of keeping records. Fuiva added that undocumented knowledge also serves to confuse and challenge the documented knowledge at times. In a day and age when traditional values and beliefs are scrutinized, it is important to source and document traditional knowledge for the proper use of those who purchase without labels.

The second part of the talanoa session focused around fai kava (kava drinking). Feleti Fonua of Tonga Institute of Education remarked on the changes around the kava circle where the elders were always respected by the younger. In modern times it seems that the elders are not given their due respect. Fuiva also noticed changes in the ways faikava is being used. Prior to the 80s the formal way of courting a young woman was through a faikava, something that is hardly being practiced today. Nowadays faikavas are being held as an activity of leisure. Discussions have shifted from meaningful political and social debates to one of corrupted, unstructured discussion. However, there are also many faikava clubs who support the educational endeavors of their communities by sponsoring scholarships for those whose parents can’t afford tuition fees. Vilimaka Foliaki of IOE contributed that the abuse of kava stems from thelack of knowledge about the proper practice of a faikava which could arise from the improper teaching of the practice in the school curriculums. Seu’ula Johansson Fua pointed out the challenge of not having a cultural policy or legislation in place or a language guide to use in comparison to Samoans who have such legislation and even have a dress code on how a puletasi should be worn. With the cultural mapping project that was carried out by MEWAC, IOE under SPC it is hoped that one day our own cultural policy could be in place to help verify and document cultural values.

The third part of the talanga shifted to the health and wellbeing of Tongans. Alison had noticed a dramatic change between 1998 – 2010 with the types of food being served during functions like the annual Methodist Church Conference. This year the meal times were cut dramatically but peoplecomplained because they wanted to serve big fancy meals like they had always done . Tradition seems to come at a cost and tradition seems to lack differentiation from culture.