Janet E. Gregory

Breaking Equilibrium: Three Styles of Education on Tanna, Vanuatu

Abstract Education and socialization are influenced by the larger surround provided by historical forces and social structures. Cultures and societies exist in a relative state of coherence within an environment, unless and until internal or external changes occur and break that equilibrium. Field work in Tanna, Vanuatu revealed that education and socialization depended upon and were significantly influenced by social structure and a historical split in the culture created by the impact of missionary activities and the emergence of a subsequent cargo cult. Breaking equilibrium: Three styles of education on Tanna, Vanuatu

The spirit feather: an ecologically based celebration of life.

The final moments of a life pose a special and very important time for all participants. Sensitive arrangement of events can provide harmony and a peaceful and memorable transition event. A specific situation, in which a feather is used to symbolize the transition, is reported. Hospice programs can offer ecologically based celebration of life and provide a positive transition for patients, families, friends, and staff.

Conflict Resolution On Tanna, Vanuatu

locally and globally, human populations appear to be engaged in almost constant conflict in this new 21st century, offering ample opportunities for those who would help solve problems. In one remote part of the planet, Tanna in Vanuatu, conflict resolution is a near constant activity raised to an elegant art form. Big men and village orators deal with complex issues in a public forum frequently. Understanding the principles and the methods of resolving differences in another culture depends upon an in-depth knowledge of their historical and contextual background. In addition, observation of the spatial and temporal dimensions of actual meetings to resolve disputes provided the authors with a fascinating insight into the structure and dynamics of the inter- village systems. This paper initially examines selected aspects and themes of Tannese culture, including such concepts or bodies of knowledge as balance, reciprocity, politics, ethics, resource availability, kinship, genealogy and the practicalities of everyday living. Then, through presentation of several instances of conflict resolution, some of the non-western, alternative styles of conflict resolution noted, including for example, rapid resolution of differences, maintenance of balance and reciprocity, collective involvement, no imprisonment, and use of healing and ceremony, are discussed. These methods may have application to other cultures and peoples who are trying to resolve disputes within their own frameworks for living.

Structural Determinants of Student Behavior on Tanna, Vanuatu

Abstract Following Merton’s theoretical orientation on roles, a study was conducted to examine the modes of adaptive behavior of students in schools in a non-western culture. Questionnaires were used to explore the factors operating within the role set and how they influenced behavioral modes of students. The research was conducted on Tanna, Vanuatu, a setting in which cults and social opposition to government and other authorities was frequent. The concepts provided by Merton’s theories were found to be useful in this cross-cultural environment. Although the research question was rejected on the basis of the questionnaire results, a valuable test of and two additions to Mert on’s concepts, specifically the addition of role set members and a continuum for modes of adaptation, resulted.

The Custom School and Gender Equality

Abstract Ethical dilemmas are frequent in cross-cultural work, as anthropologists and other may have values quite divergent from those held by the peoples visited. The “Kastom” people of Tanna, in Vanuatu, be lieved that their customs and tradition would be better maintained if female children did not attend a school in which English, arithmetic, and customary lore were taught. Alternatives suggested by outsiders were rejected, following discussions. Unanswered questions persist.

Myth and Social Control: Extending a Tannese Case

Abstract Humans array themselves into a wide variety of social and other organizations based on power. One means of creating such hierarchical arrays is through crystallizing the substance or content of values and belief systems into myth, commandments, parables, constitutions, charters, or other statements, in which some are fluent and some are not. Those who are skilled and knowledgeable use the myths or statements to judge and thereby rank others who are less fluent. In this instance drawn from Tanna in Vanuatu, a myth incorporates many cultural beliefs, and helps facilitate rule by some over others. Those who agree with and accept the myth thereby subordinate themselves to those who promulgate the myth (or statement), creating a status hierarchy.

An Investigation on Socialization and Education on Tanna, Vanuatu: Methodology and Focus

Abstract Research winds through a topic area and in the process may uncover new ideas and ways of understanding. To explore socialization and education, this project began with a literature review, then pursued fieldwork on Tanna, Vanuatu. In so doing, the search gradually forced the researchers to look beyond the schools themselves to the social context in which schools are embedded to try to understand what was taking place within the schools, the role of students, and the school activities.

The widsom of children-in-context

Children-in-families-in-communities are embedded in social realities that provide the matrix in which they grow, learn and develop and against which they test their identity. To view children-in-context it is necessary to shift from a dualist perspective that sees children and context as two separate entities to a view that sees the two as one at the interface of an ongoing transformational relationship. Childhood viewed in specific contexts, cultural, historical and social, expose the extent to which this is true. A contextual view acknowledges the structures, the forces and the processes in societies that impact on the interactions and regularities in childrens daily lives. In a number of societies a deficit model of children is inherent in these interactions and regularities. This deficit model includes discrimination on the basis of age that places them lowest in the pecking order and denies them rights. Children, more than any other group, endure the added burdens of poverty and violence that further marginalize and alienate them from society. Childhood is not something to grow out of, childhood is life itself. Social interactions that acknowledge and respect childrens experiences as valid can potentially reconstruct societal views towards children. To begin this process and to counter the present discriminatory discourse, research that gave children a voice to speak about their own experiences of violence is reported. This research recognizes that in the land of the small, it is the small who are wise.

The Trick, the Cult and the Religion: The Ecological Context

Abstract Those who observe or study cults often focus solely on the leadership and followers of leaders, andthe effects both on the minds of followers and the larger society. A more productive way to view cults is to study and analyze the context and ecological arrangements that precede, accompany, or follow the appearance ofcults. Tanna, Vanuatu with the John Frum cargo cult provides a case example.