Date Thesis Awarded
4-2024
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Arts (BA)
Department
Anthropology
Advisor
Jennifer Kahn
Committee Members
Mara Dicenta Vilker
Jessica Paga
Abstract
Cultural heritage management and preservation has been undervalued in the Pacific Islands. Legacies of colonialism in the region result in a lack of native-led strategies for heritage protection. On Rurutu, Austral Islands, I worked with the Council of Elders to create a strategy for the establishment of a local museum. Through participant surveys, oral history documentation, and GIS StoryMaps, I follow a model of heritage management prioritizing indigenous knowledge and values. I present data on the themes of colonialism, attitudes towards UNESCO, and traditional ecological knowledge to assist in the development of community engaged heritage management strategies in the Pacific and beyond.
Recommended Citation
Cearlock, Erin, "Community-Engaged Cultural Heritage Management: A Case Study of Rurutu, Austral Islands, French Polynesia" (2024). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 2215.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/2215
