Understanding Pacific Island Well-Being Perspectives Through Samoan and Tongan Material Cultural Adaptations and Spatial Behaviour in Auckland and Brisbane

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss the tangible links that exist between Pacific Island well-being perspectives and their material culture. We can gain a better understanding of Pacific Island well-being perspectives through the analysis of Samoan and Tongan material cultural adaptations and how people interact with these via spatial behaviour, as observed in Auckland and Brisbane. This paper analyses a collection of images that capture evidence of six different types of material cultural adaptations that infer on, and reference spatial behaviours. Preliminary findings have been drawn from a wider-scale research project conducted during 2015–2018, that has explored Pacific Island TransTasman migrants’ perspectives of well-being. This inquiry process has revealed significant links between Pacific Island traditions and adaptations in Pacific diaspora contexts.