Report from the SolomonsTaumako News Update
On 18 Dec, 2006, Temoto Province held elections for representives to its provincial assembly. Hon. Stanley won the election at Taumako, and will be the new assembly member. He has been serving as a teacher at Taumako elementary school. He ran for this office so that he could help repair the damage caused by his predecessor, who ignored community needs and misused community funds.
Honourable Stanley is very supportive of the Vaka Taumako Project and we
will be working closely with him. He has been appointed as Chairman of the
Tourism Committee for Temotu.
Vaka Moana Exhibition
On 23 March, Meph paid a brief visit to the Vaka Moana exhibit at Auckland War Memorial Museum. VTP is well represented in the show; "Vaka Taumako, the first voyage" is one of four films being shown in continuous screenings at the exhibition video theatre. Some footage from that production also appears in computer displays in other areas. Photographs by Lynne Bjarnessen, Jim Bailey and Meph are also on display.
It is obvious that much thought and work went into creating this impressive show. and the book accompanying it. This publication, which contains some Project photos and an article by Mimi, is both physically and intellecturally weighty, a good compendiium of the latest ideas about ancient colonization of the Pacific, modern voyaging, and other topics of interest to students of Oceanic culture.
It was disappointing, however, to find that the photos sent in by the VTP had all been incorrectly attributed. Meph wrote a correction to the Museum staff, but, since the exhibition closes on 1 April, it is probably too late to change the labels. It is also too late to revise the book's errors. Therefore, the best we can do is to offer our apologies to Jim Bailey and Lynne Bjarnessen, for whose pictures Mimi received credit. Sorry, Jim and Lynne; we did not know about the mistake until a few days ago.
According to the Auckland Museum website, the exhibit is
scheduled to travel after it closes on 1 April. From the sketchy
information on the site, however, it is difficult to ascertain where.
Anyone interested in learning more about future plans for the show
should check out the website or contact the Museum directly.
Talk by Ben Finney at the Bishop Museum
On 12 April, Mimi and Meph attended a talk by Ben Finney at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Ben gave a fascinating account of the history of research into the problem of Polynesian settlement in the Pacific, and followed it with a history of various modern attempts, such as Thor Heyerdahl's to retrace ancient sea roads. He ended by urging the audience to inquire of Mimi about the people of Taumako, who still know things about ancient Polynesian seafaring that have been forgotten elsewhere in the Pacific.
Of particular interest to Mimi and Meph was his inclusion of one of the Nohoanga Te Matangi diagrams in the power point slide show. It was quite dramatic to see this drawing blown up to wall size.
The Kauai Museum and the Vaka Taumako Project Present
Sailing with Lata – The Original Polynesian Voyager
Exhibit dates: April 27, 2007 – October 31, 2007
For more information see our web page
Sailing with Lata
Earthquake in the Solomon Islands
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April 1, 2007 20:39:56 (UTC) Magnitude 8.1 Location 8.481°S, 156.978°E Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) |
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Ronangga Island resident next to coral reef pushed up from ocean, exposed and dying. |
[The earthquake] "forced the island of Ranongga up three metres (10 foot). Submerged reefs that once attracted scuba divers from around the globe lie exposed and dying after the quake raised the mountainous landmass, which is 32-kilometres (20-miles) long and 8-kilometres (5-miles) wide."
– Agence France Presse
The Vaka Taumako Project thanks everyone who has called to inquire about the warefare of our `ohana in the Solomons since the recent earthquake and tsunami. As far as we know, Temotu Province was undamaged; the quake was centered near Ghizo Island at the opposite end of the nation. Reports from the capital, Honiara, said that the wave which hit there was only about 12 cm. (5 in.) tall. Honiara lies about 1/3 of the way from the quake's to Taumako so we have assumed that only a small tsunami went eastward.
Communications between and with the Solomons are not always easy in the best of times. We are trying to monitor the situation there, but do not always know what is going on.
We continue to hold the islands and their people on our thoughts and prayers.
Thank you to everyone who is doing this.
Mimi, Larry, Meph
