Dec. 7: Film screening, "Wa Kuk Wa Jimor--Marshallese Canoes Today"

The below message was circulated by the UH-M Center for Pacific Islands Studies: 


Wa Kuk Wa Jimor--Marshallese Canoes Today
Q & A with filmmaker Rachel Miller
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Noon - 1:15 pm
EWC Burns Hall, Room 3015/3019

The canoe tradition is one of the foundations of Marshallese culture. In the past it was the key to survival in the Marshall Islands, and it continues to embody many of the key values and practices of traditional Marshallese culture. Wa Kuk Wa Jimor--Marshallese Canoes Today (55 min, 2011), by Rachel Miller, introduced the tradition of the Marshallese canoe--including the history, types, and technological innovations of the canoes--and the complex connection between the canoe and Marshallese culture. It looks at the state of the canoe tradition in three locations in the Marshalls and explores the future of the canoe tradition.

Rachel Miller earned an MA in Pacific Islands studies from the UHM Center for Pacific Islands Studies. Prior to joining the MA program, Rachel lived in the Marshall Islands for three years, two of which she spent working with Waan Aelon in Majel, a youth vocational training organization that teaches skills using the media of traditional outrigger canoes, boat building, and woodworking.

The film was funded by the Hawai'i Council for the Humanities (HCH). The screening is cosponsored by the UHM Center for Pacific Islands Studies, the East-West Center Pacific Islands Development Program, and HCH. For information and disability access, contact the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at 956-7700.

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