| Pacific island expatriate communities throughout the urban centers of New Zealand, Australia, and the United States harbor groups of artists committed to preserving and fostering traditional art forms from their indigenous cultures. The reasoning behind this work varies with the community and country, but the intent, perpetuation of cultural practices and identity, is comparable among the majority of the communities. As early as 1977, Australian-based Papua New Guineans in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Darwin formed groups specialising in traditional dance. These dance troupes functioned as language and culture schools, social support groups, extensions of Papua New Guinea-based social networks, and a limited source of income. My observations have revealed that contemporary group members use remembered institutions and narratives to reconstruct, and in some cases, reinvent their culture within urban Australia.; This dissertation focuses upon the Solien Besena, a unique Papua New Guinean clan recognized for its exemplary cultural development work in Brisbane. I investigated the Solien Besena as they hold a distinctive ethnic marginality and aggressively promote their culture despite societal pressures from both the dominant Australian population and other Papua New Guinean immigrant groups. My research emphasises the unusually dominant role of women as cultural knowledge brokers within this customarily patrilineal group. While this study initially examined the role of the women leaders and dance groups in developing cultural identity and retention, it revealed that the process of troupe development and maintenance was often more important than the actual performance. Immersion in choreography, language and cultural history provides participants with focused social interaction and reinforced clan/family connections. A secondary economy, encompassing the concept of inalienable wealth and possessions, has also evolved. It is based upon a cultural currency of scarce dance components---specific choreography, chants and costume items. My interviews and analysis revealed that the Solien Besena women often contest the ownership of this choreography and accompanying narrative, as the knowledge of these valuable components validated their cultural knowledge, gave them a modicum of political and economic power, and established the individual's status within the communities. |
