Honolulu-Pacific Resources for Education and Learning announced the launch of the Pacific Storytellers Cooperative, an Internet platform for place-based stories from the Pacific Islands to be shared with a global audience. This multimedia effort embraces the rich Pacific storytelling heritage and brings it into the Internet age.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis project seeks to find the nexus between oral traditions of our island communities and present-day modalities of communication, especially among youth of the Pacific,\u201d said the project\u2019s founder and director Dan Lin, a senior research and policy specialist at PREL. \u201cStorytelling is a very embedded part of Pacific culture and Indigenous cultures generally. We want to encourage the younger generations to take up the mantle of telling stories and to take advantage of greater levels of connectivity and improved technical capacity\u2014which exists even in remote places.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cooperative accepts submissions in all forms from Indigenous Pacific Islanders and residents including written stories, photos, videos, and poetry. An editorial advisory group composed of volunteers from across the region will serve as content curators and submissions will be edited for clarity and length. \u201cAs long as someone is willing to tell a story. We\u2019re willing to help them e heard.\u201d Lin stated.<\/p>\n
The project originated when Lin, who is a regular contributor to National Geographic and the Associated Press, as well as a crewmember on Hokulea\u2019s Worldwide Voyage, saw a need for an accessible and inclusive digital storytelling platform.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin he Pacific, indigenous communities are too used to someone else telling stories on their behalf,\u201d he observed. \u201cIt\u2019s time to reclaim the role of tellers of our own stories, which is critical for bridging the gaps between generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renowned Marshallese poet, activist, and Pacific Storytellers Cooperative collaborator Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner affirmed the Cooperative\u2019s importance in an email statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis project sees the value in the art form, as well as in other mediums such as using film and social media, and I\u2019m excited that we\u2019ve been able to reach youth in the Marshall Islands, Guam and Saipan so far. I\u2019m really looking forward to getting this project to other parts of the Pacific as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Pacific Storytellers Cooperative is currently supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation to PREL. The cooperative anticipates seeking additional funding sources within the coming year.<\/p>\n
The project website is available at storytellers.prel.org.<\/p>\n
PREL is a non-profit 501\u00a9(3) organization that enhances community well-being through partnerships in education in the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Honolulu, PREL serves American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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