L(o)osing the Edge

L(o)osing the Edge, Teresia K Teaiwa

Teaiwa’s article is a creative and interesting piece exploring and mapping out the evolution of Native Pacific Cultural Studies. Teaiwa frames the article in a two column format in which the first column is more analytical and theoretical, and the second column to the right is a more practical course that Native Pacific Cultural Studies has progressed in the past ten years through numerous Pacific conferences. She begins by exploring the tensions between Native, Pacific and Cultural studies and how, or if it is even possible to combine all these studies together?

Teaiwa also raises an important question about the acceptance of non-Native and the Non-Pacific islander writers. Similar to the question posed by Malsbary in her review of Tuhiwai Smith’s “Decolonizing Methodologies”, I would also question; what does Native Pacific Cultural Studies look like in an “era of layered and shifting Identities”. Teaiwa does a good job of incorporating her diverse academic experience into her work and her understanding about Native Pacific Cultural studies.

The author contrasts her academic work in Santa Cruz to her work in Fiji, where she claims to have loss the “edge” or academic integrity that the Santa Cruz environment had fostered. She comes to the realization that she gained a different edge, and that “Pacific studies must ultimately be about people… and relationships” (352). I wonder if there is more to Teaiwa’s assessment about Pacific studies at the University of the South Pacific, and the lack of knowledge production from there. Could it be that scholars are cautious and respectful towards cultural issues that they would not risk the culture being subjected to criticisms and perhaps lose a sense of mana. This reminds me of Ishi in the Visenor article, where he never reveals any of his sacred names or nicknames. Perhaps he might lose the spirituality or sacredness of his name, something that was personal and no white man could ever take from him. I guess my question is, should scholars and researchers have boundaries and limitations when exposing the secrets and essence of the Native Pacific Cultures, if there is any?