Anthropology Lecture Series: Dr. Paige West on “Coastal Resilience Planning in Papua New Guinea: Indigenous Self-Determination and the Anthropology of Letting Go”
On Lavongai Island in Papua New Guinea, Indigenous Elders have worked with Indigenous scientists and American anthropologists to revitalize traditional “fish traps” or stone weirs. This locally designed and enacted project is an Indigenous form of coastal planning which refuses both state-planning and conservation organization planning. Based on a traditional design, the Lavongai Island stone weirs work to provide pool habitat for important aquatic biota, to lessen coastal erosion due to sea-level rise, and to soften the effects of increased storm surges and kind tides. In this presentation Professor Paige West describes the 15-year long collaboration with Indigenous scientists, ritual experts, and fisheries managers that created the the conditions of possibility for these revitalized marine futures for people in Papua New Guinea.
Reception to follow on Car Barn Rooftop