Keeping alive the varied history of Micronesia. This is a world class organization doing a phenomenal job of documenting the history of Pohnpei, the CNMI, Yap, Chuuk, the Marshalls and others.
This is no second rate effort. The researcher spends months at a time with these communities and parses out important historical and cultural information. I check in almost daily on his efforts!
Pasifika Renaissance is definitely one of the best and most interesting sites I have joined and contributed to. It fits right in with my lifelong interest in the languages and cultures in Micronesia and Polynesia. The key to its appeal is its director/administrator Dr Takuya Nagaoka, who combines a deep and extensive knowledge of the Pacific with a tolerance for a wide-range of opinions and levels of knowledge and experience, from novices to experts in various fields. Members include not only interested outsiders looking in but also people from many Pacific Island cultures seeking to learn about and preserve their own priceless and sometimes endangered heritages.
Some other knowledge-sharing sites I have been to seemed to be oriented more toward pontificating, where revealing that one did not already know all the answers was frowned upon, as if doing so would compromise the reputation of the site. That did not fit with my image of what a social media site should be, for that discourages interaction and communication. With my own students, I sometimes pose questions already knowing the answer in order to generate interchange and dialog and to see what new angles might come up. Other times, I really do not know and like to switch roles with the students and have them educate me through verbal communication. Sites and organizations that discourage this have little interest for me.
When Dr Nagaoka invited me to Pasifika Renaissance, I found the way he ran it very refreshing. A large part of that for me is that while he is a full-on academic with expertise in his own field of achaeology, he is also very easy-going and down-to-earth and easy to communicate with, coming partly out of his own personality but also from his among-the-people, on-the-ground, in-the-mud experience on Pohnpei with the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), which includes fluency in the language. His expertise extends far beyond archaeology, into languages and linguistics, anthropology, and history. In areas where I am not that sure of myself, it is very easy to ask Dr Nagaoka and other participants to educate me with their knowledge and experience. They have shared links to many documents and sources that I had not known about.
The use of "Renaissance" in the name of the site is also fitting because is director/administrator is something of a Renaissance man himself.
With so many stories and voices in Oceania, Pasifika Renaissance is a great source that reports and showcases Pacific happenings. Dr. Takuya Nagaoka has huge passion for the people and cultures of the Pacific and his page presents a great balance of socio-cultural information from both Near and Remote Oceania. As a lecturer in Anthropology 1130 People and Cultures of the Pacific, I suggest for my students on Facebook to like and join Pasifika Renaissance, as I know they will be updated to and motivated by the cultures of the Pacific. Excellent Nonprofit! Please continue your work, highly valuable.
I have seen Pacifika Renaissance involve and inspire Micronesians to explore and celebrate their history and heritage in meaningful ways. It is encouraging to see the interest and passion this group is sparking. Dr. Nagoaka has a genuine and long-standing love for the region and many, many personal and professional relationships here.
Pacifika Renaissance is 'the' place to see what's going on, and what has gone on, in terms of research into the history, culture and society of the Pacific Islands, and its connection with Asia. Check it out, ask questions and get involved in what's happening in the greatest expanse of water on our planet and how humans have lived there.
Often times the mission statement of a NGO is merely that, just a statement. This is not the case with Pacifika Renaissance. It is refreshing to see the efforts of Dr. Takuya Nagaoka, and a cadre of volunteers and contributors, come to fruition. To put it simply, this is a really good and worthwhile organization. It is making an extremely positive impact on Oceania by providing invaluable historical and cultural information to its populace and the public at large. Pacifika Renaissance is a very fitting moniker for this NGO that deserves much support.
Pasifika Renaissance is a relatively new NGO that is dedicated to collecting and disseminating knowledge about Oceania to Pacific Islander communities. The organization's web presence is already a wonderful resource, and with some exciting new projects in the works, a wealth of expertise to draw from, and with Takuya's able leadership this is an NGO to watch!
The best place to go to if you are curious or to rediscover your roots... Dr. Takuya is very passionate about his work and I consider him to be the ultimate walking micronesian thesaurus. A million thank you, Takuya and pasifica renaissance for enlightening us. Keep them coming :)
Pasifika Renaissance is a relative new NGO created to support government(s) and provide for workers in the field and also for sharing oral tradition. It also shares and instills both new and past information of the many countries in the Oceania and recruiting broad and diverse range of supporters as well as users to interact and offer many topics and related links that director, Dr. Takuya Nagaoka posted and/or shared.
As a retired educator myself, I find it extremely useful for our educational agencies in the nation and I further recommend to any new user or visitors. It is an NGO that deserves the public supports.
Pacifika Renaissance is an incredible nonprofit doing tremendous work to collect and disseminate the valuable cultural knowledge and history of Pacific Islanders. Since its creation, the website has continuously provided new new bits of once unattainable information to all who visit or subscribe to the page. It seems that everyday new knowledge is provided and questions answered. Most importantly, Pacifika Renaissance returns to Islanders the research and cultural resources that often has been out of reach to them via its public-friendly media format that constantly provides expert feedback to those who wish to better understand their own heritage. It is a brilliant idea that is being expertly managed and realized.
Having lived in the Federated States of Micronesia, and having experienced first hand the richness and diversity of its culture, I am impressed by the ability of this group to address so many issues. The articles and scholarly texts that Pasifika Renaissance makes available to any interested person are fascinating and informative. The contributors, especially Dr. Nagaoka, are quick to respond to users questions, often stimulating spontaneous, in depth discussions, where more times than not, additional valuable information is revealed.
This is a wonderful resource for everything 'Pasifika'!
Pasifkia Renaissance is awesome place for learning and sharing history and culture, My kids are young explorer of history in the Pacific and Pasifika help them understand history and culture much faster it's a wanderful place to learn,
I found Pasifika Renaissance as one of my favored site now made me understand as well as learn my Pacific different culture and long gone history. Thereby I rate it one of my best.
Pasifika Rennaissance is an amazing NGO which is not only amassing an enormous amount of historical, archaeological and cultural data about Pacific cultures and making it widely available, but also doing on-the-ground surveys and efforts to help communities and governments improve the protection and add value to their cultural heritage. I was privileged to see their work first-hand in Micronesia and hope they get all possible support from everyone who cares about the Pacific, its environment and its peoples!
I belong to several organizations related to specific islands or island groups. Pasifika Renaissance encompasses all of the Pacific and brings together many, many activists in one place where we can exchange information and ideas. The organization is a big-tent, as they say. It is welcoming to folks like me who is a non-native of the area but has a special affection and interest, having once lived there. Everyone I've met is so generous in sharing information and advice. Kudos to Pasifika Renaissance!