Oceania Art

Mana (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 7, 29 September 1977, Page 2

Oceania Art

International Symposia on the art of Oceania are held every four years and include the arts of Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Australia. The first was held in Ontario, Canada 1974 and the second is to be held at Victoria University, Wellington, next year, February lst-Bth 1978. Representatives attending the conference are coming from France, Holland, Hungary, Germany, Britain, U.S.A., Canada and Australia. The Pacific countries represented so far are the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa. But it is hoped that the New Hebrides, the Cook Islands, New Caledonia and French Polynesia will also send representatives. New Zealand will be represented by a team of Maori and Pakeha experts.

The conference is interestly mainly in the study, research and teaching of Oceanic art at the tertiary level. Activities included in the programme are formal papers and workshop sessions in which will be discussed the future of Polynesian art, the relation between traditional and contemporary Melanesian art, Australian Aboriginal art, Conserving and Preserving artifacts in Oceania, possibly, the Role of Women in the Art of Oceania, and comparisons of “native views” of aesthetics in music, dance, drama, poetry, oratory, cuisine, body ornamentation and plastic art. The organisers of the sym-

from Dr S. M. Mead, Symposium Organiser.

posium are interested in hearing from Polynesians who want to attend the conference in Wellington and from those who have a contribution to make. You may contact either Dr Roger Green, Department of Anthropology. University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland, or Dr S. M. Mead, Department of Anthropology and Maori Studies, Victoria University, Wellington. We would also welcome any financial assistance which any group in New Zealand can give us. -

So far, our main support has come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Education Department and the Maori Purposes Fund Board, who together have contributed $1 1,250. But our budget target is $28,900 most

of which will be spent on paying the air travel fares of the overseas participants. Without more finance, we will not be able to bring the overseas scholars to New Zealand and without them the conference will lose a lot of its impact and usefulness.

All of the best known international scholars on Oceanic art want to come and are willing to come if we can pay their air fares. So if any of you can help financially, your assistance will be greatly appreciated. We have established the priority that Pacific Island participants have first call on travel funds and we now face the problem of not being able to bring anyone else to the conference in Wellington unless we can find more money.