Page 348 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

The Reflection of Culture from the Pacific
Now it is time to display the face of the Pacific people in a Melanesian cultural image.
The only source is the work of Ton Otto who combined the intellectual team work of two
campuses The Australian National University (Canberra) and the Center for Pacific Studies
of the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, in 1993.
This work is very significant because it clearly lets out the problem that has been buried
for years in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. What is interesting are the thoughts that
signal how important the fact that the Pacific people look for their self-history and identity.
It is inferred from the result of the research about the Pacific people as an inseparable part
of the Melanesian race, which began from the west to the east hundreds of years ago. The
dramatic journey began from the Indonesian archipelago to the Pacific region in stages in
quite a long time.

Voices from the Pacific
There are several strategic reviews from the Pacific region about the culturally similar
items in the Melanesian frame. Otto (1993) discusses the Melanesian culture model in the
Pacific context. Most of the South Pacific countries got their independence in the 1960-
1970s. Most countries have inherited a colonial tradition and the ones holding on to their
ancestors’ values are very few. In connection to the political traditions, the Pacific region
has a long and unique history with the western influence that is very complicated. Contact
with the western world has changed the face of the life of the traditional Pacific societies.
The history of the migrations and then the technology renewal are very influenced by the
western perspective that has started the people’s life in that area. Western reviews and
findings have dominated the history of the society since the beginning of time. Though we
must remember that whatever the history of the Pacific people is, they are an integral part
of the journey of the world in general, and they have been specifically categorized into the
Melanesian race (Otto, 1993).
In the contact with the western world, the Pacific people seem as if they became the
last receivers that look very passive. They watch how the western people found their
land. They meet the traders and the travelers who pass by the place where they live. They
then watch newcomers start work on their fields and land. Their attitude changes to fight
against these people – in a small scale – to defend themselves and their land, after they
become aware of their pride. They also hear the stories of the missionaries, not only about
the western tales but also about their ancestors that turned out having been recorded

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