Pacific Well-Being: (Is)Lands, Theologies, World Views

This may be a small paperback monograph of fewer than 200 pages, but it is one which encourages Pasifika peoples to think big, broad, ideas and concerns, spiritual, theological, sociological, ethnological and ecological, “intersectionally” (viz, holistically and inter-connectedly) against Western Eurocentric academic and scientific disciplines as inhabitants of a “sea of islands”.

The book explores the “well-being” of the numerous and varied Pasifika communities and island landscapes of Oceania through indigenous Pasifika lenses to challenge dominant Eurocentric discussions and allow space at the table for Pasifika peoples to be part of critical discussions. Perhaps the most critical is that the “holy” (the healthy secure and solid) is being undermined by the “holey” (Tongan avaava, “many holes”), represented by the neglect of increasingly critical problems and challenges of human and environmental climate change, death and disease.

Underpinning the book are themes of: “well-being” derived from the vital and necessary functioning of the “holy” to create the mana (energy and vitality), and tapu (status and character) to make space for Pasifika world views to participate in Western academic discussions with Pasifika accents and rythms; “Intersectionality”, the holistic and cross-disciplinary mode of thinking that native Pasifika communities share; and “talanoa” (the Pasifika stories, the varied acts/ways of Pasifika story-telling, and collaborative interactions involving listening hearing, questioning and re-storying), are three such underpinnings. All help to mend the holes and regenerate mana and tapu.

Divided into three “Parts” and 14 papers, the book promotes the key “conviction that the well-being of Pasifika depends on ‘The well-being of Bodies and Islands’ (viz, the (is)lands and sea); ‘ … of Theologies and Traditions’ (viz, of history and culture); and ‘ … of Imaginations and Mindsets’” (viz, dreams and visions). Other takeaways are: how important are Indigenous Perspectives; the Inter-connectedness of Land, Sea, and People; Spirituality and Tradition; Resilience and Adaptation to climate change and globalization; a Holistic Approach – to maintaining Pasifika-specific cultural identity and well-being.

The Rev Dr Jione Havea’s editing was supported by the Council For World Mission’s “Intersectionality and Theology Series” through its DARE (Discernment and Radical Engagement) programme. Currently Research Fellow at Trinity College and a distinguished scholar elsewhere, he describes himself as “An activist on the ground and in meetings – classrooms [who] pushes back at bullies and suckers, and flips (at) shitstems [a vulgar Rastafarian term for oppressive socio-political systems] in and around scripturalized (con)texts.”

The 16 contributors, most native Pasifika, include our own Trinity College Principal, the Rev Dr Nasili Vaka’uta. His paper, “Lotu-Noa: Impact of Delusional Religiosity on Well-Being”, was delivered first at the Talanoa Oceania Biannual Conference at Trinity College on September 10-11, 2022 – as were most of the other papers.

Clearly this monograph is an important Pasifika push-back against the traps of Western individualism, academic siloing of disciplines, and exclusion of non-Western viewpoints. But having little sociological, ethnographical, or linguistic familiarity with the topics covered, I found this book dense and hard going to the point I almost questioned whether I was the right reviewer for it.

Nevertheless a Glossary of Pasifika terms, an Index, and a List of Contributors did help me make sense of difficult topics and terms. But I recommend that a reader unfamiliar with its technical language and cultural concepts should begin by first absorbing Dr Havea’s explanatory Preface.