Our author travelled to the Pacific to see how people have taken the preservation of their cultural heritage into their own hands. The aim is to work through humanity’s treasures together with the communities of origin and to share the insights gained.
1st stop
EASTER ISLAND
Concerned about the loss of Rapa Nui culture, pianist Mahani Teave returned to Easter Island after completing her studies at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin. There, she established the first music school within a 3,500-kilometre radius. It is a cornerstone in the preservation of Rapa Nui culture.
2nd stop
SAIPAN, NORTHERN MARIANAS
Guns and tanks in a South Sea paradise? Whilst the traces of the German colonial era have faded, relics of the Battle of Saipan (1944) between the United States and Japan can be seen everywhere. The often-suppressed era of imperialism and its consequences are unmistakably evident here.
3rd stop
MAJURO ATOLL
Navigating solely by the stars, the Polynesians once covered thousands of nautical miles in small wooden ships and outrigger canoes. In recent decades, however, these proud vessels have completely disappeared and been replaced by modern watercraft. The local initiative WAM aims to bring back the outrigger canoes. Young people are now relearning the ancient art of boatbuilding.
4th stop
PALAU
Only three traditional men’s houses (bai) remain in the villages of Palau. Another bai was commissioned in 1907 by Augustin Krämer and shipped to the Berlin Museum of Ethnology. In the near future, it will move from Dahlem to the Humboldt Forum.
