International Cultural Studies-Anthropology and Pacific Island Studies Professor, Doctor Tevita Ka’ili (pictured top) was one of thirty anthropologists from all over the world invited to attend a conference on Indigenous Anthropology at Oxford-Brooks University in Oxford, England, from June 14 through 18. Ka’ili presented a paper that he wrote, titled, ‘Anthropologizing Indigeneity and Indigenizing Anthropology.’ His theory was, “People in the Pacific are engaged in rearranging time and space to create harmony, symmetry and beauty.”
“There has been a divergence between native studies and anthropology because natives have thought that anthropology does not meet their needs and that research has not been relevant to their community,” said Ka’ili. “Up until the 1980s and 90s most theory had come from westerners.” The aim of the workshop was to seek bridges between scholars such as anthropologists engaged in the study of the arts and cultures of Indigenous/Native/Aboriginal peoples, and Indigenous scholars who specialize in the reclamation and study of their own traditional knowledge and world views within the context of contemporary life.
Ka’ili is an anthropologist and indigenous and was able to bring both perspectives. He was able to present his studies as well as network with others in the same line of work. Much of Ka’ili’s work has been centered on creating indigenous theory in anthropology.
“It was a blessing to be asked to go. It shows that anthropology is moving toward including natives in their work. It is a more collaborative approach of looking at the insiders to the culture and the anthropologists as equal.”
Topics presented at the conference included History of the Divergence, The Senses as a way of Knowing, Science and Epistemology, Indigenous Studies and Reconciliation, Indigenous Peoples and Postcolonial Museology, and Writing and Dissemination.
Dr. Ka'ili with several of his colleagues
Ka’ili found one of the most interesting topics to be Museology. According to Ka’ili, “Previously Museums had been taking bones and artifacts and not returning them. Now the ideas of repatriation and involving indigenous people in the planning of museum displays are becoming welcomed ideas among anthropologists. Museums had been objectifying people and now they are humanizing them. Dead things are not just collected, they are alive and people can come use artifacts from the museum for rituals and then return them.”
The Australia National Museum is working on making this transformation. In Ka’ili’s opinion, “The more the museums involve the culture, the better the museum is.”
According to Ka’ili, the compilation of papers presented at the conference will either be edited into a book or made into a wiki. The goal is to disseminate the material so it is accessible to indigenous people.
Ka’ili is planning on incorporating papers and Web sites from this conference into his classes. Kai’ili said “I want my students to see what anthropologists are doing to transform the discipline and make it more relevant, useful, and respectful to indigenous people.”
--Photos courtesy of Dr. Tevita Ka'ili