Breathing space: ecology and sovereignty in Pacific Island poetry

Abstract

This paper will discuss the ways in which the image of breath serves to concretize ideas and attitudes toward ecology and sovereignty in Pacific Island poetry. It will be based on the recognition of the importance of the oceanic environment to the cultures and societies of the Island Pacific, of connectedness as a defining characteristic of island life, and of the irreplaceable value of islands as places. One implication of this recognition is that the pursuit of sovereignty and development is inseparable from respect for ecology and sustainability. Perceptions and interpretations of the ocean as a connecting element have often been framed in terms of fluidity and mobility suggested by a metaphorical association between the ocean and blood that encompasses genealogical histories of migration and settlement. In my paper, I will try to suggest the advantage of framing such perceptions and interpretations in terms of a metaphorical association between the ocean and breath, drawing attention to the connection between the oceans and the lifesustaining terrestrial Atmosphere as well as the existence of islands as habitable places threatened by rising sea levels. I will indicate the importance accorded to breath and breathing in indigenous epistemologies, emphasizing the value of centered relationships and an acknowledgment of the presence and precedence of others within and beyond the horizon of visibility, and discuss the metaphorical significance of breath in conceptualizations of space, the negotiation of boundaries and cross-cultural (institutional) action with reference to poems by Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, Robert Sullivan, Teweiariki Teaero and Teresia Teaiwa.