Title: Community Engaged Cultural Heritage Management: Case Study of Rurutu, Austral Islands, French Polynesia
Department: Anthropology
Description: This project will be an exploration of community engaged cultural heritage management in French Polynesia, with a focus on the island of Rurutu, Austral Islands. The research will investigate differences in heritage policy and priorities between Rurutuan locals and the French Polynesian government and/or the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Based on preliminary conversations, Rurutuan communities are interested in developing a local cultural and natural museum on their island. To develop a more community engaged, and culturally relevant cultural heritage product, the project will document oral traditions related to traditional toponyms, or place names, on the island to be presented in a GIS story map that will be made available online for community use. It will also discuss the issues surrounding cultural heritage management in the Austral Islands, specifically indigenous needs versus federal or western desires for heritage conservation in the region.
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Advisor: Jennifer Kahn
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