INTRODUCTION: Special Issue–Women Writing Oceania: Weaving the Sails of Vaka

Authors

Caroline Sinavaiana, University of Hawai‘i at Ma ̄noaFollow
J. Ke ̄haulani Kauanui, jkauanui@wesleyan.eduFollow

Abstract

This introduction to the special issue Women Writing Oceania: Weaving the Sails of Vaka presents a dynamic and wide-ranging collection of creative and scholarly work by indigenous Pacific Islander women. Framing women’s cultural production through the powerful symbolism of the vaka (ocean-going canoe), the coeditors invoke ancestral legacies of female mobility, artistry, and leadership. The issue explores themes of gender, identity, sexuality, colonial legacy, and the politics of representation across diverse forms—essays, poetry, art, and academic analysis. While contributions on sexuality remain limited, the volume challenges silences shaped by cultural protocols and colonial exotification. The editors highlight the limitations of regional representation and the enduring influence of colonial networks of distribution, while also affirming the importance of solidarity, collaboration, and reclaiming narrative authority within the Oceanic scholarly and artistic community.

Recommended Citation

Sinavaiana, Caroline and Kauanui, J. Ke ̄haulani (2007) "INTRODUCTION: Special Issue–Women Writing Oceania: Weaving the Sails of Vaka," Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 30: No. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol30/iss1/3