Folk Cultural Study of Chieftainship in Southern Oceania.

1996 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 07041030
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for international Scientific Research
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: Field Research
• Research Institution: Sonoda Women's University
• Principal Investigator: KAWAI Toshimitsu Faculty of Cross-cultural Studies, Sonoda Women's Unversity, Professor, 国際文化学部, 教授 (90161265)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KOIKE Makoto Faculty of Literature, St Andrew's University, 文学部, 助教授 (00221953) ; ISHII Masao Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mie University, 人文学部, 教授 (20136576) ; OTANI Hirohumi Faculty of Literature, Seinan Gakuin University, 文学部, 教授 (20112279) ; NAKAYAMA Kazuyoshi Faculty of Foreign Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, 外国語学部, 教授 (50044730) ; OGAWA Masayasu Faculty of Human and Cultural Studies, Musashi University, 人文学部, 教授 (90086926)
• Project Period (FY): 1995 – 1996
• Keywords: Oceania / chieftainship / continuity / culture change / cultural cognition / leadership / folk system / life / comparative study

Research Abstract

The aim of this study is comparative studies within a specified middle-scale cultural area from the viewpoint of cultural cognition such as world view, body image, life, metaphors, and so on. Six members conducted researches in Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Cook islands and Vanuatsu. The main focus of the stud can be summarized as follows ;
1.Field data : The fruitful information was collected through interviewing the people who were living at each research location. The data on living life, human relationships focused on traditional culture was gathered in each area.
2.On the continuity and change of chieftainship : It is useful to study the co-existence of traditional and westernized political systems from the cultural viewpoint. In the countries studied, sociopolitical systems have been changed through the influence of foreign countries. However, the basic cultural value and old chieftainships are well kept, and support the new systems. For example, in Tonga and Fiji, it was made clear that the modern political systems are based on cultural categories of body, baskets, religious power and so on, which were the traits of traditional chieftainships.
3.Problems of cultural cognition ; These aspects are remained as a problem to be researched further. However, it is already clear that the modernized systems are rebuilt based on traditional thought and value. The cases of Tonga and Fiji mentioned above suggest the significance of the veiwpoint.
There still remain many other problems to be studied concerning the continuity and change of chieftainship in Southern Oceania.