HONOLULU — The Pacific Islands Humanities Network or PIHN (not PIHC as previously reported) elected its officers on Tuesday, June 11, here.
Last week, the network was established with the signing of a memorandum of understanding. The network comprises the humanities councils of American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam and the CNMI. They have committed to work together to “elevate the voices of the Pacific.”
Northern Marianas Humanities Council Executive Director Leo Pangelinan was elected as the PIHN chair. Vice chair is Aiko Yamashiro, executive director of the Hawaii Council for the Humanities. The secretary is Dr. Melissa Taitano, board member and cultural expert at Humanities Guahan while the convening chair is Niualama E. Taifane, executive director of the Amerika Samoa Humanities Council.
Pangelinan said the network will meet at least twice a year, once at the National Humanities Conference and once in a jurisdiction.
American Samoa will be the venue of the next assembly of the PIHN in 2025.
Pangelinan said because the network is new, some work will be dedicated to understanding issues that are pertinent to the individual humanities councils, as well as issues they all have in common.
“One of the issues that I know a lot of folks in the network indicated were important to them is cultural protection,” Pangelinan said. “We all need to start talking about climate change, particularly how the change in weather and weather patterns is affecting our cultural way of life. Whether you come from a high island or a low island there’s fish stocks that people depend on — that all islanders depend on. Whether your land is eroding or not if the fish are going away you’re going to have a problem.”
Pangelinan said the network will also design and implement projects involving the entire network. In order to implement these projects, the network will form committees that comprise members from each jurisdiction.
“In the context of the vast United States of America,” he said, “in a lot of areas, Pacific Islanders are seen as homogenous, when that’s really furthest from the truth, or they’re not seen at all.”
During group discussions, the network members noted that many residents of Guam, the CNMI, Hawaii and American Samoa have left their islands to seek better economic living situations on the mainland U.S.
Language preservation in each jurisdiction and among their diaspora populations is a project the network could consider, Pangelinan said.
“I’m really excited about the potential for this network elevating our voices in national discussions, particularly on issues that affect us, like climate change and even cultural preservation and protection,” he added. “That includes our identity and safeguarding our identity. That means a whole lot of other things including support for the use of our language, not just in our jurisdictions but even in the diaspora communities in the United States, really empowering our communities out there to take back more of their identity.”
The executive directors of the humanities councils that comprise the Pacific Islands Humanities Councils pose for a photo. From left, CJ Ochoco, Humanities Guahan; Leo Pangelinan, Northern Marianas Humanities Council; Aiko Yamashiro, Hawaii Council for the Humanities; and Niualama E. Taifane, Amerika Samoa Humanities Council.
Naomi Tudela, program manager at the Northern Marianas Humanities Council, presents the CNMI’s gifts to the other members of the Pacific Island Humanities Network.
