Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Anthropology, 2000? / Bibliography: leaves 339-372.

This thesis is an ethnographic study of a rural community in central Vanuatu, many of whom have been engaged as seasonal workers in New Zealand and Australia’s horticultural industries since 2008. Based on sixteen months’ ethnographic fieldwork divided between Lamen Island and Lamen Bay, Epi, I examine why people choose to leave their home to engage in often-difficult work and seasonal absences, in order to build a ‘good house’ and ‘good life’ at home. I suggest that ‘the good house’ is an icon of the Li-Lamenu vision for improved moral and material ‘standards of living’. I reveal how seasonal work engagements emerge in the context of mutually dependent and moralised but often-ambivalent employer-employee relations. Time away is often experienced as the subordination of one’s life and work to the demands of a labour regime, but is submitted to as opening opportunities, or ‘roads’ for value conversions of time into money, and money in into the future of the household, and community development. However, the quest for a good life in the shape of the good house raises tensions and contradictions that householders must negotiate in order to ‘live together well’ with kin and community. The rise of the ‘good house’ is associated with a concomitant decline in ‘respect’ for kin and Chiefs, and the proliferation of ‘broken homes’, and land disputes. Throughout this thesis, I will suggest that the good house concretises the increasing direction of money, time and resources into household-oriented goals. This process of household nucleation is also evident in tensions over changes in ritual performance and expenditure and land tenure patterns. I conclude that these insights contribute to the anthropology of kinship and ritual, as well as wider understandings of temporary migration and development theory and policy.

Odonata is an order of charismatic insects, commonly called dragonflies and damselflies, that provide a rewarding study system to answer questions such as those related to diversity and biogeography. Despite being relatively well-studied compared to other insect orders, odonates have suffered from inconsistencies and disagreements about proper morphological terminology that provide barriers to incoming workers. These disagreements have subsequently led to confusion and the incorrect application of terms. Here, we clarify the terminology and propose standard terminology for terminal appendages. This terminology is employed in a taxonomic revision of Vanuatubasis Ober & Staniczek, 2009. This endemic genus of damselfly found on the island archipelago of Vanuatu and was previously only known from three species. Here, we formally describe and treat all known species of Vanuatubasis including the association of females for known species. We also describe new species Vantuatubasis evelynae sp. nov., V. insularivorum sp. nov., V. kapularum sp. nov., V. nunggoli sp. nov., V. punicea sp. nov., and V. xanthochroa sp. nov. from material collected in Vanuatu. An illustrated key to both males and females of all species within Vanuatubasis is provided as well as distributions for all known species. Finally, we explore the biogeographical patterns in Vanuatu using this genus. We reconstruct a phylogeny of Vanuatubasis, in the context of its two sister genera, to begin unraveling the complex biogeography of this lineage. We test hypothesis of dispersal from Fiji, routes of colonization across the archipelago, and how relationships reflect geographic proximity in the genus. The results provide a vital first step in understanding the faunistic patterns within Vanuatu, as well as broader patterns across the Pacific.

Yes / Around 1.35 million deaths are caused by Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) each year. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of Vanuatu's Health Care Workers (HCWs) regarding the existing preventative strategies for RTI. Materials and methods: In 2020, this study used qualitative approaches to collect data from HCWs using Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Study participants were self-identified Ni-Vanuatu HCWs who had been serving for more than 6 months in three main hospitals where the study was conducted and purposive sampling was used to gather the study participants. To guide the FGDs, a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire was created. Thematic analysis was used to processed the data obtained, based on predetermined themes that were based on theory while also enabling the data to determine new themes. Result: From 5 FGDs with 22 HCWs who were emergency nurses, doctors and public health officers, data saturation was reached. The study yielded five main themes and sixteen subthemes. The relevance and trends of RTI, barriers to effective care, pre-hospital management capacity, barriers to pre-hospital care and addressing RTI were among the key subjects. The findings suggest that addressing health institutional leadership and resources will improve prevention of RTIs. Conclusion: Prevention of RTIs is hindered by the lack of health institutional capacities in terms of leadership and resources that include emergency equipment, financial and trained human resources. The health sector should consider developing stronger leadership in road safety to be an essential part of its core business. / We acknowledge with gratitude the Vanuatu Government through the Training and scholarship units under the Ministry of Education, for the financial support towards this study.

Thesis (doctoral?)--University of Oslo, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 189-200). Also issued online.

<p><em> </em></p><p>Excavations of human skeletal remains are sometimes followed by claims for reburial from the local community. This has led to debates between researchers and other elements of society, churches or minorities. This scientific paper sat out to examine the discussions and debates found in Sweden (Scandinavia), with the situation in Vanuatu, (Melanesia). The objective was to elucidate similarities and differences in people’s attitude when it comes to reburial. Religious beliefs, legislations and policies were compared to provide explanations for the different attitudes in the two countries. The study showed that the debates found in the Swedish material such as conflicts between researchers and the church or between the Saami population and Swedish researchers, haven’t got a counterpart in Vanuatu. This was much due to the research policies in Vanuatu and the strong Christian faith.</p> / <p><em> </em></p><p>Fynd av mänskliga kvarlevor i samband med utgrävningar följs ibland av krav på återbegravning från det lokala samhället. Detta har lett till debatter mellan forskare och andra delar av samhället, kyrkan eller minoriteter. Denna C-uppsats har försökt undersöka diskussionerna och debatterna som framkommit i Sverige (Skandinavien) och Vanuatu (Melanesien). Målet var att belysa likheter och skillnader hos människors inställning när det kommer till återbegravning. Religion, lagstiftning och policys jämfördes för att förklara de olika inställningarna i de två länderna. Studien visade att debatterna mellan kyrkan och forskarna eller den Samiska befolkningen och forskarna inte hade en motsvarighet i Vanuatu. Detta var mycket tack vare Vanuatus forskningspolicy och den starka kristna tron i landet.</p>

Excavations of human skeletal remains are sometimes followed by claims for reburial from the local community. This has led to debates between researchers and other elements of society, churches or minorities. This scientific paper sat out to examine the discussions and debates found in Sweden (Scandinavia), with the situation in Vanuatu, (Melanesia). The objective was to elucidate similarities and differences in people’s attitude when it comes to reburial. Religious beliefs, legislations and policies were compared to provide explanations for the different attitudes in the two countries. The study showed that the debates found in the Swedish material such as conflicts between researchers and the church or between the Saami population and Swedish researchers, haven’t got a counterpart in Vanuatu. This was much due to the research policies in Vanuatu and the strong Christian faith. / Fynd av mänskliga kvarlevor i samband med utgrävningar följs ibland av krav på återbegravning från det lokala samhället. Detta har lett till debatter mellan forskare och andra delar av samhället, kyrkan eller minoriteter. Denna C-uppsats har försökt undersöka diskussionerna och debatterna som framkommit i Sverige (Skandinavien) och Vanuatu (Melanesien). Målet var att belysa likheter och skillnader hos människors inställning när det kommer till återbegravning. Religion, lagstiftning och policys jämfördes för att förklara de olika inställningarna i de två länderna. Studien visade att debatterna mellan kyrkan och forskarna eller den Samiska befolkningen och forskarna inte hade en motsvarighet i Vanuatu. Detta var mycket tack vare Vanuatus forskningspolicy och den starka kristna tron i landet.

Le sakao est une langue océanienne parlée par plus de 1500 personnes, au nord-est de l'île d'Espiritu Santo, au Vanuatu. Cette thèse se fonde sur un travail de terrain de 8 mois au total. Après une présentation détaillée de la situation sociolinguistique de la région, elle décrit en détail la grammaire du sakao, à travers différents aspects : phonologie, morphologie, syntaxe et sémantique. Bien que présentant des traits caractéristiques de sa famille comme une tendance à la multiprédicativité, l'utilisation de séries verbales, ou encore le système de possession, la langue est assez innovante, notamment sur les plans phonologique et morphologique. L'ensemble de la thèse tente également de mettre en évidence les interactions entre structures intonatives et morphosyntaxe. Par ailleurs, cette thèse propose une étude détaillée de différents points, parmi lesquels : un marquage différencié de l'indéfini selon le mode REALIS/IRREALIS ; le système aspectuel et ses interactions avec le mode et l'Aktionsart ; le repérage spatial et la deixis (système à six degrés) ; et les notions de topicalisation, de focalisation, et de cadre discursif. La présente thèse comprend en annexe deux textes extraits du corpus oral, traduits et glosés, ainsi qu'une liste des différences majeures entre le sakao et le nkep, qui peuvent êtreconsidérés comme deux dialectes d'une même langue : le wanohe. / Sakao is an Oceanic language spoken by more than 1500 people in the north-east area of Espiritu Santo Island (Vanuatu, South Pacific). The present thesis is based on a total of eight months' fieldwork. After a thorough description of the sociolinguistic situation in the area, it describes the main phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic features of Sakao. Sakao presents characteristic features of an Oceanic language (e.g. a tendency toward multipredicativity, the use of serial verbs constructions, the expression of possession, etc.). However, this language is also innovative, especially regarding its phonology and its morphology. The entire thesis also attempts to highlight the interaction between intonation and morphosyntactic structures. The thesis also proposes a precise study of various issues, including the following: differential marking of the indefinite depending on the mood of the sentence; the aspectual system and its interactions with mood and Aktionsart; spatial reference and the six-degree deictic system; and the notions of topicalization, focus, and discourse frame. The appendix presents the transcription of two narratives from our oral corpus (together with their glosses and French translations), as well as a list of the main differences between Sakao and Nkep, considered here as two dialects of a same language: Wanohe.

Cette thèse consiste en une description du sun̄wadia, langue mélanésienne parlée dans l'île de Maewo, située dans la partie centre-nord du Vanuatu (Pacifique Sud). La description est basée sur deux séjours de terrain de trois mois chacun. La langue présente, à des stades plus ou moins poussés, les traits caractéristiques de la famille austronésienne: l'existence d'un article personnel, une tendance à l'omniprédicativité, la modification de la structure argumentale du verbe par quelques morphèmes hérités du système à applicatif des langues situées plus haut dans la généalogie de la famille. Elle présente également le système de marques personnelles très reconnaissable des langues austronésiennes.Il s'agit d'une langue relativement conservatrice sur le plan phonologique, mais dont la morphologie dérivationnelle apparaît assez érodée (il n'existe ni conjugaison verbale, ni déclinaison casuelle, ni marquage morphologique du nombre sur les noms). La thèse s'organise en six parties. La première étudie la phonologie, la morphophonologie, et la structure morphologique du mot sun̄wadia, ainsi que les phénomènes de sandhi. La seconde partie s'intéresse aux parties du discours et pose quelques bases syntaxiques sur lesquelles s'appuiera le reste de l'étude. Les quatre parties suivantes étudient successivement le fonctionnement du syntagme substantival, celui de la prédication (structurée par le recours fondamental aux constructions à verbes sériels), le système de repérage et de référence temporels, spatiaux et circonstanciels, et enfin l'organisation de l'énoncé. La thèse est accompagnée d'un extrait de corpus glosé d'une douzaine de pages. / This PHD thesis consists in a description of Sun̄wadia, a melanesian language spoken in Maewo Island, Central-NorthVanuatu (South-Pacific). It is based on two fieldworks of three months each.This language exhibits, in a variable extension, some of the typical characters of the austronesian languages: it has a personal article, tends towards omnipredicativity; the argumental structure of the verb undergoes modifications via a few morphemes related to the applicative systems of languages that are situated higher in the genetic tree of the family. The language also has the typical pronominal system of austronesian languages.Sun̄wadia is a relatively conservative language, on the phonemic level at least, but its morphology appears to be quite eroded (there aren't any verbal conjugation, nor any nominal declension, nor any morphological marking of number on the noun). This thesis is organised in six parts. The first one studies phonemics, morphophonemics, and the morphological structure of the Sun̄wadia word, as well as sandhi phenomenon. The second part concerns the parts of speech and lays down some syntaxic grounds that will be useful to the rest of the study. The last four parts review the substantival syntagm, the functioning of predication (which is mostly built around serial verbs constructions); the temporal, spatial, and circumstantial reference, and, lastly, the global organisation of the clause. The thesis comes with a short excerpt of our oral corpus (a dozen of pages).

Les premières migrations ont atteint la région de l’Océanie Lointaine (à l'est des îles Salomon) récemment, autour de 3000 ans BP. De nombreux éléments sont à prendre en compte dans ce processus de déplacement de populations, dont les changements environnementaux. L’installation de l’Homme sur des îles vierges a probablement influencé la faune et la flore insulaires, mais la réponse de la végétation face à la pression anthropique varie d’un site étudié à un autre. Les objectifs de cette recherche ont été de décrire l'influence humaine sur l'environnement depuis les premières migrations, de déterminer l'impact climatique sur ces déplacements de populations et sur la modification des paysages au cours de l'Holocène supérieur ; puis, de caractériser le comportement humain et son adaptation à une île vierge. Pour répondre à cette problématique, deux carottes palustres, prélevées sur l'île d'Efate (au centre du Vanuatu) ont été étudiées : le marais d’Emaotfer et le lac Otas. Afin d’identifier la paléovégétation arborée et herbacée présente autour des sites, j’ai principalement analysé les grains de pollen et les micro-charbons. J’ai également reconstitué les températures et les précipitations passées à l’aide de fonctions de densité de probabilité.Au niveau climatique, ces analyses mettent en évidence une période chaude et humide jusqu'à 3700 ans cal BP. Ensuite, un environnement plus sec se met en place, suite à une augmentation de l'ampleur et du nombre d’évènements El Niño. Entre 1950 et 750-600 ans cal BP, les résultats révèlent un climat plus humide, associé à la diminution de fréquence et d’intensité des El Niño. Les modifications de la végétation du marais d’Emaotfer et du lac Otas illustrent une nouvelle période sèche après 750-600 ans cal BP, que l’on peut associer au Petit Âge Glaciaire.Les populations Lapita ont atteint l'île d'Efate vers 3000 ans cal BP, sous des fréquents et importants El Niño, lorsque les vents d'est se sont arrêtés, favorisant la navigation à voile vers l’est. Ces résultats soutiennent l'hypothèse de migrations vers l'est sous de faibles alizés. Les premiers colons étaient des navigateurs et des pêcheurs-cueilleurs, ils ont eu peu d'impact sur l'environnement. Autour de 1500-1300 ans cal BP, une nouvelle population s’est installée sur le site d’Emaotfer, a développé la culture de plantes médicinales, cérémoniales et alimentaires et a probablement pratiquée l’agriculture sur brûlis. Ce groupe a vécu sous un climat humide, également plus approprié au développement de l'horticulture. Nos résultats montrent la capacité d'adaptation des populations aux nouvelles contraintes environnementales et climatiques. Les résultats issus des analyses polliniques et de micro-charbons livrent des informations assez complètes sur le paléoenvironnement, les relations Homme-climat-végétation et l'émergence de l'impact anthropique. Pour de futures recherches, il serait nécessaire d'obtenir plus de données sur la pluie pollinique d’un maximum de taxons, sur les exigences écologiques des espèces végétales et les paramètres climatiques actuels propre à chaque île, afin de modéliser de façon robuste les paysages, les climats et l’influence de l’Homme sur la dynamique de végétation passée (projet LandCover6k) / The first settlers reached the Remote Oceania (east of the Solomon Islands) quite recently, around 3000 yr BP. There are several hypotheses concerning the causes of these migrations, and environmental changes have to be taken into account in the settlement proceeding. The arrival of populations on pristine islands has an influence on the native fauna and flora, but landscape responses to human impact vary for each site examined. The aims of this research are to describe the human influence on the environment since the first migrations, to discriminate the climate impact, which causes theses migrations and the landscape modification during the late Holocene; then, to characterize the human behaviour and adaptation on pristine island. To answer this problem, two palustrine cores, collected in Efate Island (central Vanuatu) were studied: the Emaotfer Swamp and the Otas Lake.I have mainly used pollen and micro-charcoal analyses to reconstruct the arboreal and herbaceous vegetation found around the sites. I have also conducted of past temperatures and rainfalls reconstructions thanks to density probability functions. At the climatic level, these analyses highlight a warm and wet period until 3700 cal yr BP. Then, a increase in magnitude and number of El Niño events caused a drier environment. Between 1950 and 750-600 cal yr BP, the results reveal a more humid climate, associated with the decrease in El Niño frequency and magnitude. The climatic variations recorded by the Otas Lake and the Emaotfer Swamp vegetation show a new dry period after 750-600 cal yr BP, corresponding to the Little Ice Age.Lapita people reached Efate Island ca. 3000 cal yr BP under frequent and sustained El Niño events. During this period, easterly winds stopped and favoured eastward sail. These results support the hypothesis of eastward migrations under low trade winds. The first settlers were seafarers and fishers-gatherers, they had little impact on the environment. A new population settled the Emaotfer Swamp from 1500-1300 cal yr BP, developed medicinal, ceremonial and food plants cultivations and has probably practiced slash and burn agriculture. This group lived under humid climate, also more suitable to the development of horticulture. Our results show the adaptive capacity of populations to new environmental and climatic constraints. The complementary of the pollen and micro-charcoal analyses deliver rather complete information on the palaeoenvironment, the Human-climate-vegetation relations and the emergence of the human impact. For future researches, it will be necessary to obtain more information on the pollen rain for a maximum of taxa, the ecological needs of plant species and the specific climate parameters for each island, to develop a robust model of past landscapes, climates and land-use (project LandCover6k).