The Winner of the 15th Asia Pacific Research Prize (Iue Prize):
Dr. Ryuju Satomi

- Summary -

The coral reefs on the northeastern coast of Malaita, Solomon Islands, in the southwestern Pacific are dotted with more than 90 artificial islands built with rock piles by a people called the Asi (people of the sea) or Lau. The majority of these artificial islands are still inhabited by several to dozens of people, who live by the subsistence complex of horticulture, fishing, and market activities. This dissertation explores the current situation of the Asi’s characteristic style of living, based on the findings from my fieldwork of about 17 months. The Asi today seem to live divided realities; on one hand, they accept the current condition of their living, while they constantly imagine alternative ways of life, distinct from the present one, on the other. For example, many of them have plans to emigrate to inland areas on Malaita in the near future, out of their concern about the increased population and the shortage of garden land in the coastal areas. Such plans question the otherwise self-evident nature of the sea as their home, as well as relativizing their collective identity as people of the sea. This dissertation uses the concept of “contingency” (the possibility to be different from the present) to indicate such a situation in which their current condition of dwelling always and simultaneously involves the possibility of alternative ways of living, which are different from the current ones and diverse per se, and in which they continue to fluctuate between these alternatives. The inherently contingent nature of the Asi’s maritime dwelling is found in various aspects of their life, including their kinship, land system, and historical consciousness. This dissertation therefore deals with a wide range of subjects, such as traditions concerning their migration, including the establishment and development of dwelling on artificial islands; funeral rituals, which once occupied the center of their religious life and are inseparably related to their migration history; the process of their reception of Christianity throughout the 20th century; fishing as their traditional major source of subsistence; subsistence horticulture and land use; and their memories of anti-colonial movements right after the Pacific War. By examining these multifaceted subjects, this dissertation aims to describe the multi-layered and dynamic nature of the dwelling and living of the Asi