By Janet Ikimotu, Max Quanchi, Melchior Bokalen
and Helen Tanielu.

Part A

Niue-Tonga-Auckland-Brisbane-Tokyo-Ishigaki and home again By Janet Ikimotu (Niue High School, Niue)

I lost my breath ... aah ... when I received the invitation from SPINF to attend thefirst Coconuts College conference in Ishigaki. Today, I am still trying to catch my breath as I travel back home. I have travelled through so many>time zones, on four different airlines, through five big cities and up to the northern hemisphere. For a novice international traveller I wouldn't have minded getting lost in the Yaeyama Islands. They are just like home.

The idea of the conference was really promote understanding of Pacific Islands to Japanese people. I was privileged to have been selected from tiny Niue to join the other Pacific delegates. All of us were history teachers from different parts of the Pacific ocean but we had met once before at a workshop of the TTPF regional history project (another SPINF project). The fact that I was representing Niue (the "Rock of Polynesia" it is called now) was a little confusing because I am of Banaba ancestry (from Kiribati) but am a Fiji citizen married to a Niuean and living in Niue, which is politically linked to New Zealand. I am a Pacific "fruit salad" for sure.

Arrival in Tokyo was a culture shock. All the super-modern technology that makes air, road and rail transport so comfortable is a credit to Japan but when I arrived it was obvious that more people than the whole population of Niue was standing around in the terminal at Narita. Then the winter chill hit me and I felt frozen.

A group of very prominent people in the local community welcomed us and we were transferred to to the Tenjinkaku Hotel. The welcome dinner that night was very informal and enjoyable. I was the cause of some confusion because my name "Ikimotu" had been written as "Ikemoto" in Tokyo. I explained that my name belongs to my husband's family and means "Iki" - small or chief, and "motu" means island. My hairstyle was also confusing as I had my long straight black hair held up in a top knot in the style of Kiribati married women. This was also traditional style for Yaeyama women. Maybe I had found my ancestral roots ?

The next day we went to Taketomi Island in a very flash ferry. We took a field trip to some archaeological sites where I could have become lost and would not have minded - it was just like the Niue scrub and bush. I had made a mistake and was wearing my new high heeled shoes, so I removed them and went barefoot Niuean style. One of the Taketomi organisers rushed home and returned with his wife's slippers for me to wear. Arigato !! Just like typical Pacific Island hospitality.

The experience in Ishigaki has been history in the making for me. A first time taste of many things - chopsticks, opera, Awamori (60%), using an interpreter, Karaoke singing, visiting traditional shrines. Most exciting of all was meeting and learning to understand Yaeyama people and being able to behave in a very Island way amongst them. Thank you to SPINF, the organisers, planners, interpreters, lecturers, guides, School Principal and teachers. A special thanks to Miss Mikiko for taking me to the opera and teaching me how to use chopsticks and to Mr Tomoyose for making the Karaoke so much fun. Thanks also to the people who provided buses and ferries for transport and the Executive Committee who farewelled us at the airport.

Finally Fakaue lahi (this means arigato in Niuean language ). Thank you to everyone whom I cannot mention by name. Your friendliness, gifts and patience (with our English language) and your very island way of life made us feel so special. Ishigaki in the Yaeyama islands ... wow !! ... you took our breath away. I will not catch my breath until after I revisit all the airports on the way and finally return home - to Niue.

Part B

Yaeyama Islands; Linking Asia and the Pacific By Max Quanchi, (TTPF co-coordinator, Queensland University of Technology.)

A short visit to the Yaeyama Islands in the southern Okinawa archipelago immediately indicates many intriguing aspects of local geography, culture, history, society and contemporary development. In all these aspects, even a short stay demonstrates there are many similarities between Yaeyama and the islands of the south and north Pacific in both the distant past and in the contemporary period.

The delegation from the south Pacific included history teachers and lecturers from Samoa, Papua New Guinea, and Niue. Our immersion in Yaeyama Island culture and politics began with a visit to Yaeyama Senior High School and a brief appearance in front of a World History class. With the Principal and senior staff our delegation also discussed problems associated with youth, outer island education and history teaching, noting many similarities between Yaeyama and the islands of the Pacific. This was followed by a two day program including visits to the Prefecture Offices, Lord Mayor, Museum, Cultural Preservation Office, Uganzaki peninsula and lighthouse, Kabira shell mound, Kabira Bay, a palm forest, Mount Banna, the memorial to Ishigaki victims who were relocated and died during the Pacific War, and most impressive of all, Taketomi Island.

The visit to Taketomi included the ruins of two 13th century villages, a walk through the Historic Preservation precinct of Taketomi village and a visit to the Taketomi Museum. With staff from a local archaeological survey offering instruction, this visit demonstrated the unique culture that developed in the Yaeyama Islands quite separate from the 18th century Japanese influences of the Satsuma period coming down from the north, and linked directly to much earlier migrations and influences from China and perhaps Taiwan and the Philippines to the south. The visit to Taketomi was an amazing discovery for myself, a teacher and researcher of Pacific History for 25 years - here was another "Pacific island" with an archaeological and historical record linked to the early migrations which also peopled the islands of the Pacific.

The visits to sites, the speakers at the formal "Coconuts College" forum and the instruction from archaeologists were only a part of the learning experience. The dinners at local restaurants, the evening listening to traditional folk music at the "Hameda" club and the service and hospitality of shopkeepers, hotel staff and passers-by all added to the "Yaeyama experience". The enthusiasm of the planning committee in arranging the social program, the field trips and the formal "Coconuts College" forum was of the highest order and I offer warmest appreciation and gratitude for their efforts. In return I hope that links between the Pacific Islands and the Yaeyama Islands will grow stronger. Certainly the Teaching the Pacific Forum (TTPF) project will attempt to establish links between teachers of history and social studies in both regions. (The three delegates from PNG, Niue and Samoa are all active in the TTPF program.) As an observor rather than an official delegate to the Coconuts workshop I was struck by several simillarities between issues raised during the visit and the contemporary situation in Australia. Australia has four distinct Pacific Islander communities - the original indigenous Aborigine people (c 300000 ), Torres Strait Islanders (c14000), South Sea Islanders (c15000 Vanuatu and Solomon Island descendants of sugar cane workers imported in the 19th century) and perhaps 160000 Tongans, Samoans, Fijians, Cook Islanders and others who have migrated in recent years or who are in Australia on study and training programs. In particular the history of the Torres Strait Islands has many similarities with that of the Yaeyama Islands. Torres Strait Islanders are active promoting their own culture, language and way of life; they are isolated from the centres of political power in the distant mainland cities of Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Sydney; they are a minority attempting to preserve their identity while maintaining an association with a majority culture; and they are an archipelago. It was interesting to discover these were issues in Yaeyama as well the Torres Straits and indeed are found in the current cultural and political agenda of several other Pacific Island nations.

During the Coconuts College, delegates investiged the archaeological record of the Yaeyama Islands, and looked a broader aspects of past and recent history in the Asia-Pacific region. The participation of a Pacific Islander delegation added an extra perspective to these discussions. It gave a "Pacific flavour" to the visits, presentations and debates and with the many other activities organised during the visit, added significantly to establishing a "Friendship" relationship between the peoples of Japan and the Pacific islands. A third agenda seemed to develop from these discussions. This was a concern with contemporary issues and new directions. The relationship between the Yaeyama Islands and the neighbouring Okinawa Islands and the relationship between Yaeyama and distant Tokyo were also subjects which arose in formal and informal discussions. These issues raised in these discussions were familiar to both small and large Pacific Island nations.

The study of the distant and recent past and the contemporary situation in the Yaeyama islands, demonstrated many similarities between Pacific Island nations and Yaeyama. I thank the people of Yaeyama for making these links so visible. The Coconuts College program was a success in so many ways. Congratulations.

Part C

Yaeyama and PNG; Educational links By Melchior Bokalen (Kerevat High School, Papua New Guinea)

My trip to the Yaeyama islands in Japan was an exciting experience. It was organised by SPINF and the Yaeyama people of Japan. After our travelling from various parts of the Pacific, the group of which I was a member flew from Tokyo to Ishigaki on Thursday , 5th of February. We were welcome by the executive committee members of the Yaeyama planning committee at the airport and taken to our hotel.

Organisation and arrangement for all activities were well thought out and carefully coordinated in advance. Activities included visit to Yaeyama High School, eating at a traditional restaurant, visit to the Prefecture, excursion to the Museum, courtesy call made to the Major of Ishigaki city, visits to archaeological village ruins and Museum on Taketomi island, visit to Cultural Division of Ishigaki city and a trip to Kabira shell mound. As well as attending the informal discussions and conference presentations, I gave a short address on Papua New Guinea and joined a half-day panel discussion on archaeology and history at the official opening of the 1st Coconut College Workshop on Yaeyama Islands.

The Yaeyama people experience a subtropical climate and their traditions, life style, vegetation and aspiration for their community are similar to that of Pacific island nations. Yaeyama people maintain the view that they possess a distinct tradition and culture. This is a culture different in some respects from Yamato (mainland Japan) which allows them to be identified specifically as people from Yaeyama islands.

In the formal conference sessions three leading academics in the field of Archaeology, Anthropology and Prehistory, who have carried out fieldwork in the Pacific, and in Pacific Islands, presented papers on the Pacific Islands which also highlighted the close links between the Yaeyama people and Filipinos, Taiwanese and Chinese cultures. Three local experts also spoke on aspects of Yaeyama archaeology and history.

Through the hard work, preparation and planning carried out by the Yaeyama executive committee the workshop was very successful. Credit is given to the Yaeyama executive committee for their co-operation and effort in organising and staging the workshop. Mention too is made to the interpreters, newspaper people, staff of the library and Museums, and Tokyo based SPINF for their hard work, enthusiasm and effort. It will be of educational importance for Papua New Guinea to establish a range of relationships with Yaeyama people. In fact, Papua New Guinea already has been sending its fishermen to Ishigaki for further training on aspects of maritime industry and development. Furthermore, the Japanese International Co-operation Agency has sponsored study trips for group of PNG teachers to Japan. These types of links should be developed even further to include the educational exchange of staff and ideas. It is recommended that the PNG Education Department should consider initiating a regular exchange visits between the Yaeyama people and PNG in order to develop understanding and appreciation of each others culture and lifestyle. Moreover, such a relationship would help students and teachers in Papua New Guinea to develop a greater understanding of the links between Asia and the Pacific.

>Part D

Yaeyama and Samoa; Island peoples By Helen Tanielu (National University of Samoa, Apia,Samoa)

At the southern extremity of Japan lies a small archipelago called the Yaeyama Islands. One of these Islands, Ishigaki Island, was the venue for the Coconuts College symposium. This Symposium was the beginning of a connection between the islands of the South Pacific and islands of this southernmost Japanese Prefecture. One of the ideas idea behind this symposium was for the Yaeyama Islanders to meet people from the Pacific and foster friendship ties between Japan and the Pacific.

Our delegation to Yaeyama, included Melchior from PNG, Janet from Niue, Max from Australia, Dr. Sinoto, an archaeologist from Hawaii and myself from Samoa as well as several archaeologists and anthropologists from Okinawa and the Japan mainland.

After arrival at Narita airport, we spent one night in Tokyo and had dinner with the the Pacific Society of Japan. The next day, after a short tour around Tokyo's Zojoji Temple (in the winter cold), we flew for three hours down to Ishigaki Island. Our program did not start until the next day but that night we were welcomed with a dinner party when the visiting Pacific delegation and the local planning committee introduced themselves and discussed the aims of the "Coconut College" program.

The next few days proved to be a great experience as we were taken around museums, historical sites, the one Senior High School in the Yaeyama group, as well as a visit to nearby Taketomi Island, one of the smaller islands in the Yaeyamas. On Taketomi we visited two fascinating archaeological sites, the Taketomi Museum and had a terrific lunch in a small local restaurant.

The Yaeyama Island "Coconuts College" was a great experience. All activities were well planned and quickly and quietly implemented. The Yaeyama Island people were, to our surprise, very much like people from our own Pacific Islands and that made our visiting Pacific delegation feel more at home.

Thank you to the Yaeyama Executive Committee and to SPINF for their untiring efforts to make us feel welcome, to offer us a challenging academic program and to give us a chance to share knowledge of our Islands with the people of Yaeyama. In particular the many social experiences - dinners, shopping, sitting around talking, bus trips, opera - were also a great learning experience apart from the conference, field trips and museum visits. The Karaoke was terrific! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to experience Island life from the Yaeyama Islands. I had a great time.

Note; This report has appeared in Update 15 (Feb 1998, TTPF project) and The History Teacher (Vol 36, 1, 1998, QHTA, Brisbane) and on WWW at; >http://www.arts.unsw.edu.au/Centres/South Pacific/homepage.htm

Part E

Queensland teachers learn about Yaeyama Islands

At a seminar organized by the Queensland History Teachers Association (QHTA) in Brisbane, Australia, the delegation of visiting Pacific Island History teachers on the way home from the Cioconuts College workshop in Japan, gave an interesting two hour seminar on the Yaeyama islands, history teaching in their own country and broader issues related to Pacific islands curriculum.

This was a fascinating insight into Japan-Pacific relations and Pacific Island education systems, which Australian teachers rarely gain access to, with the added bonus of a first hand commentary by a group returning from a week in Japan's southernmost Prefecture, a small group of islands just to the north east of Taiwan.

Jointly organised by the Sasakawa Pacific Islands Nations Fund (SPINF) and a planning committee in the Yaeyama islands, the history and archeology workshop had made a great impact on the delegation from the Pacific. Ms Helen Tanielu from Samoa, Mrs Janet Ikimotuu from Niue and Mr Melchior Bokalen from PNG, spoke at length and enthusiastically to the Brisbane audience about the similarities between their home islands and the Yaeyama Islands. They began their talks with personal histories of where their homes were in the Pacific, their teacher training and their current teaching roles. This was followed by a summary of the history curriculum in their respective countries. The confidence with which they spoke about their teaching roles and the honor they felt as an international delegate visiting another country drew numerous questions from the audience. The three delegates modestly spoke about their involvement in the regional TTPF project (another SPINF program) in which they had developed their professional role as teachers of history by acting as authors, speakers, workshop coordinators and committee members for professional associations. The workshop concluded with the delegation joining the QHTA executive for a dinner at which they discussions continued in a more informal manner. The seminar was held at Brisbane Girls Grammar School from 4.30 to 6.30 on Tuesday 11th February 1998 as part of the QHTA's regular teacher seminar series.
END OF REPORT