Location
The
2006 Pacific Islands Field Training Program will be held in Baraulu Village,
in the Roviana Lagoon, Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands consist of
a scattered archipelago of mountainous islands and low-lying coral atolls,
and stretches about 900 miles in a southeast direction. There are six
major islands and approximately 992 smaller islands, atolls and reefs.
The archipelago covers an area of about 249,000 square nautical miles
while the land area is 10,938 square miles. The six biggest islands are
Choiseul, New Georgia, Santa Isabel, Guadalcanal, Malaita
and Makira.The climate is tropical, though temperatures are rarely extreme
due to cooling winds. Daytime temperatures are normally in the 80's, falling
about 10 degrees at night. From April to October, the Southeast trade
winds blow, gusting at times up to 30 knots or more. November to March
is the wet season and is typically warmer and wetter. Cyclones start in
the Coral Sea and the area of the Solomon Islands, but they usually steer
towards Vanuatu and New Caledonia or down the coast of Australia The total
population of the Solomon Islands is approximately 400,000. Communal,
familial, and clan ties remain very strong in the Solomon Islands.
The Field Work
The
program offers students a unique cultural and educational experience in
a field situation where various methods and theoretical approaches from
the natural and social sciences are utilized. Students will be trained
in quantitative and qualitative ethnographic and marine science field
methods and will develop their own research projects. Local elders and
cultural experts belonging to the Sokogaso Melanesian Institute of Integral
Learning and Research in Munda, as well as others across the Roviana and
Vonavona Lagoons, will become the co-teachers and co-mentors of participating
students in the program. Students will have an opportunity to learn about
oral history and indigenous ecological knowledge while learning how to
document and interpret their findings.
The first two weeks of the program consist of group projects and activities
that orient students to the Solomon Islands and the Roviana and Vonavona
Lagoons. We go on several excursions by boat throughout the region including
fishing and snorkling trips. During the first
two weeks of the program students also gather information to help form
their ideas for individual projects. The last two weeks are devoted primarily
to students' research. The individual student projects are described here:
2003, 2004,
2005.
This community, Baraulu village, hosts the field school.
Field Conditions
Students will stay in homes with assigned families in Baraulu Village, Roviana Lagoon. This is traditional fishing community with a population of about 600. Many students feel that living with a host family is the most influential part of their experience in the Solomon Islands. The living conditions are simple: be prepared for basic accommodations, including public, cold-water outdoor showers, outhouse-style toilet facilities, and sleeping on the floor under mosquito nets. While living in Baraulu, all meals are provided for program participants. Upon admittance students will receive materials describing what personal items to bring and any necessary vaccinations or prescriptions that need to be arranged before departure. Malaria and other illnesses are a fact of life in the Solomon Islands that students need to be aware of. You must take an anti-malaria medicine if you are a program participant.
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