Customary systems of management and World Heritage in the Pacific Islands

Smith, Anita; Turk, Cate

doi:10.22459/ta36.12.2013.02

Cited by 22 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Since these sites are ultimately interpreted based on their ‘outstanding universal value’ to all humanity regardless of national boundaries, they are being assessed with a particular view toward the world, rather than the Marquesans nominating them (UNESCO 2019:Chapter II.A.49). And in the tradition of other global heritage projects, the management of these sites will ultimately require a certain disregard for local interests, based on the premise that the safeguarding of an endangered species or unique cultural relic trumps the views of any Indigenous people or other local concern (Di Giovine 2009:77; Smith and Turk 2013:27).…”

Section: Spiritual Sovereignty: Heritage and Manamentioning

confidence: 99%

Quilting Power:Mana,UNESCOand Spiritual Sovereignty in the Marquesas Islands

Donaldson

2022

Oceania

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The Marquesas Islands were added to UNESCO's Tentative World Heritage List (WHL) in 1996. Twenty‐five years later, the project to join the coveted WHL continues, plagued by volatile politics and, more subtly, an underlying discomfort with the colonial past. This world heritage initiative highlights key cultural and political tensions between the Marquesas and the two much larger partners involved in the project: Tahiti and France. As a colonial territory of France and an outlying archipelago of French Polynesia, the Marquesas see WHL status as a step toward greater global recognition and power. Yet UNESCO's specific requirements for how heritage is defined, perceived, and promoted threaten to suppress more local, embodied, and relational understandings of Marquesan heritage, echoing long‐standing colonial patterns of social and religious oppression. In particular, the troubled relationship between Islanders and their past trivializes questions about whether to recognize colonial or Indigenous ruins, illustrating the lasting entanglement of these histories and the insidious workings of power across local, state and territorial scales. While the WHL initiative expresses both Indigenous and colonial ambitions, different parties are using the term ‘heritage’ as a political tool that either voices or, in some cases, silences, Indigenous interpretations. The underlying link between Marquesan heritage and agency points to the critical role of spiritual sovereignty in the tense and dynamic interplay of power in contemporary French Polynesia.

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Section: Spiritual Sovereignty: Heritage and Manamentioning

confidence: 99%

Quilting Power:Mana,UNESCOand Spiritual Sovereignty in the Marquesas Islands

Donaldson

2022

Oceania

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“…This is somewhat understandable, given the site was inscribed based on its environmental features. However, the heritage the East Rennellese most wish to preserve is linked to their cultural identity and customs (Smith & Turk, 2013). In addition, East Rennellese are highly concerned about improving their livelihoods and food security.…”

Section: Management Planmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most prominent of these is the early decision to nominate East Rennell on the natural criteria alone. Smith and Turk (2013), for example, note that at inscription 'neither the cultural values of the landscape nor the traditional systems of authority and land tenure were described' (p. 27). East Rennell's inscription did break new ground in being the first natural site that was under customary ownership and management.…”

Section: Moving Forward With the Dsocrmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, nomination processes failed to take into account the site's cultural values. Smith and Turk (2013) pointedly note that East Rennellese do not distinguish nature from culture, and indeed view East Rennell as their cultural landscape. Ultimately, the decision to proceed with nomination as a purely natural site has acted to relegate the cultural concerns of East Rennellese, and by extension the needs of local communities, as secondary.…”

Section: Moving Forward With the Dsocrmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Achieving the desired state of conservation for East Rennell, Solomon Islands: Progress, opportunities and challenges

Kiddle

2020

Asia & Pacific Policy Stud

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East Rennell was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2013. Threats to the site's Outstanding Universal Value include logging, mining, invasive species, and climate change. The site is unlikely to be removed unless actions identified in the 2015 Desired state of conservation for removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) are implemented. While the Solomon Islands Government has taken some steps towards implementing the DSOCR, overall progress has been minimal, partly due to competing priorities and lack of resources. Consequently, it is unlikely that the DSOCR will be achieved by the target date of 2021. East Rennellese have received little financial benefit from the site's listing and their support for World Heritage may be wavering. To be effective, World Heritage conservation measures must be aligned with local peoples' aspirations and priorities, which include improving livelihoods and preserving culture.

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The Pacific Context

Price

2018

World Heritage Conservation in the Pacific

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Customary systems of management and World Heritage in the Pacific Islands

Cited by 22 publications

References 8 publications

Quilting Power:Mana,UNESCOand Spiritual Sovereignty in the Marquesas Islands

Quilting Power:Mana,UNESCOand Spiritual Sovereignty in the Marquesas Islands

Achieving the desired state of conservation for East Rennell, Solomon Islands: Progress, opportunities and challenges

The Pacific Context

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