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2021-2022 HOCEF Fellows

Harvard Oceanic Collections Engagement Fellowship (HOCEF) is a community-driven program for the peoples of Oceania to explore, engage with, and respond to the Peabody Museum’s vast collection of materials from the region.

HOCEF’s inaugural fellowships (2021–2022) were made available to the Oceanic diaspora in Utah, where one of the largest and fastest growing populations of Pacific Islanders in the United States resides. Two group recipients were selected from a strong pool of applicants and were invited to the Peabody Museum at Harvard to engage with the collections in person.

 

Laneta Fitisemanu, smiling, wears nifo aila.


Restoring Samoan Galuēga Taulima: Bringing the 'Ula Lei Back to Life

The multigenerational team comprising Laneta Fitisemanu, Nu'uausala Eliga Tilo III, Kimo Watanabe, and Jacob Fitisemanu Jr. studied collections and documentation at the Peabody Museum to recreate a nineteenth-century Samoan 'ula lei (whale ivory necklace). By revitalizing the long-dormant practice of Samoan ivory work using similar materials, tools, and techniques, the group inspired and stimulated discussion about symbolism, cultural permanence, and artistic "authenticity" among modern urban Pasifika identities.

 

 

asoso participants.

Asösö: Resting collectively and Rising collectively

'Amelia Afā Niumeitolu Tavai collaborated with a diverse group of Pacific Island cultural leaders and artists in Utah, including Susan Alik, Poli O'toko, and Tagielu Tavai to explore the collective and mobile nature of rest shared across Oceanic cultures. Reflecting upon several headrests from the Oceanic collections at the Peabody Museum as well as historic photographs, the group aimed to underscore  the healing importance of resting and sharing culture as a group, as understood through the Chuukese expression asösö meaning "our rest."