Rotuma Research
In the spring of 1990 I was a new M.S. student working with Dr. Paul Cox. I had come to work with Cox because I was interested in conducting research in Pacific Island cultural and biological systems studying evolution of traditional medicinal practices among closely related communities 'isolated' by water. My understanding of the Pacific was, and still is, limited. Dr. Cox had recently developed some excellent research relationships with scholars in Thailand and encouraged me to explore research questions that I could address there. Near the beginning of the year, Dr. Cox told me that he was going to Samoa for about a month and that when he returned, he expected me to have a clear set of research questions that I could address in Thailand. He left. I went to work in the library trying to focus on ethnobotany in Thailand. For several days I dutifully returned home with piles of books that my wife and I explored, trying to learn more about Thailand. My mind quickly drifted back to the Pacific Islands and I began to haunt Pacific regions of the library. Rather than bring home the books that were not about Thailand, I began to pile them up in my office. After about a week of searching I came across a book (and to this day I do not remember the source) that listed Island archipelagos of the Pacific in a table showing the highest altitude in each archipelago, land area, and a few other details. This table served as the basis for some basic decisions that I made that in retrospect may not all have made much sense. I knew that higher islands had greater botanical diversity and I wanted to work in a community where people had access to lots of plants, so I arranged the list in order from highest island group to lowest. I then began from the highest and worked my way down asking several questions: 1) Has ethnobotanical research been done in this place before? (I wanted to be the first! and planned to use other locations as comparative sites.), 2) Does the archipelago have one culture or several? (I wanted to work with one community that would not require sorting out relationships with an adjacent group.) and 3) Is the archipelago distant from other islands? (The more isolated the better since isolation presumably would increase local dependence and distinction.) As I worked my way down the list eliminating one archipelago after another or placing them on a "maybe" list, I was soon left with one really prominent, isolated island "group": Rotuma. There were then two weeks to go before Dr. Cox returned and I had to decide what to do. Get my act together and prepare some sort of proposal for work in Thailand, or go for it and prepare a project concept for a place I had not even heard of a few days before. I went for the later.
In the spring of 1990 I was a new M.S. student working with Dr. Paul Cox. I had come to work with Cox because I was interested in conducting research in Pacific Island cultural and biological systems studying evolution of traditional medicinal practices among closely related communities 'isolated' by water. My understanding of the Pacific was, and still is, limited. Dr. Cox had recently developed some excellent research relationships with scholars in Thailand and encouraged me to explore research questions that I could address there. Near the beginning of the year, Dr. Cox told me that he was going to Samoa for about a month and that when he returned, he expected me to have a clear set of research questions that I could address in Thailand. He left. I went to work in the library trying to focus on ethnobotany in Thailand. For several days I dutifully returned home with piles of books that my wife and I explored, trying to learn more about Thailand. My mind quickly drifted back to the Pacific Islands and I began to haunt Pacific regions of the library. Rather than bring home the books that were not about Thailand, I began to pile them up in my office. After about a week of searching I came across a book (and to this day I do not remember the source) that listed Island archipelagos of the Pacific in a table showing the highest altitude in each archipelago, land area, and a few other details. This table served as the basis for some basic decisions that I made that in retrospect may not all have made much sense. I knew that higher islands had greater botanical diversity and I wanted to work in a community where people had access to lots of plants, so I arranged the list in order from highest island group to lowest. I then began from the highest and worked my way down asking several questions: 1) Has ethnobotanical research been done in this place before? (I wanted to be the first! and planned to use other locations as comparative sites.), 2) Does the archipelago have one culture or several? (I wanted to work with one community that would not require sorting out relationships with an adjacent group.) and 3) Is the archipelago distant from other islands? (The more isolated the better since isolation presumably would increase local dependence and distinction.) As I worked my way down the list eliminating one archipelago after another or placing them on a "maybe" list, I was soon left with one really prominent, isolated island "group": Rotuma. There were then two weeks to go before Dr. Cox returned and I had to decide what to do. Get my act together and prepare some sort of proposal for work in Thailand, or go for it and prepare a project concept for a place I had not even heard of a few days before. I went for the later.
Two weeks later there was a knock at my office door and then Paul came in. He asked how I was doing and if I could come "have a chat" with him in his office. I was really nervous. On my desk was a stack of photocopies of every anthropological, botanical, geological, geographical, historical, etc. paper that I had been able to find about the island of Rotuma, all together about two feet high. I had also prepared a brief overview and concept of what I wanted to do there as far as exploring the ethnomedicinal system, largely based upon the work of anthropologist Alan Howard. I picked up the stack and followed him to his office where he directed me to a wooden chair. I sat with the stack of papers on my lap while he looked off into space and waxed philosophical about his recent trip, not even asking me what all of my photocopies where about. At one point in the conversation he said that he had been thinking about my research project and that when he was flying from Sawai`i to `upolu in Samoa, he happened to sit next to a man named Paul Dumas. Paul Dumas had formerly served as a Peace Corp worker and was married to a woman from an isolated island. As they talked Paul realized that the island where Paul's wife, Maria, was from, would be an excellent location for me to conduct the sort of research about which I had previously told him I was interested. Dr. Cox looked at me and told me that Maria was from the island of Rotuma and asked "Have you ever heard of Rotuma?" I responded by holding up the stack of papers and saying "Here is all of the literature I could find about the island."
Two weeks later there was a knock at my office door and then Paul came in. He asked how I was doing and if I could come "have a chat" with him in his office. I was really nervous. On my desk was a stack of photocopies of every anthropological, botanical, geological, geographical, historical, etc. paper that I had been able to find about the island of Rotuma, all together about two feet high. I had also prepared a brief overview and concept of what I wanted to do there as far as exploring the ethnomedicinal system, largely based upon the work of anthropologist Alan Howard. I picked up the stack and followed him to his office where he directed me to a wooden chair. I sat with the stack of papers on my lap while he looked off into space and waxed philosophical about his recent trip, not even asking me what all of my photocopies where about. At one point in the conversation he said that he had been thinking about my research project and that when he was flying from Sawai`i to `upolu in Samoa, he happened to sit next to a man named Paul Dumas. Paul Dumas had formerly served as a Peace Corp worker and was married to a woman from an isolated island. As they talked Paul realized that the island where Paul's wife, Maria, was from, would be an excellent location for me to conduct the sort of research about which I had previously told him I was interested. Dr. Cox looked at me and told me that Maria was from the island of Rotuma and asked "Have you ever heard of Rotuma?" I responded by holding up the stack of papers and saying "Here is all of the literature I could find about the island."
A few weeks later, through the help of Maria and Paul Dumas, and Maria's father Gagaj Kono', we were on Rotuma. We received permission of the council of chiefs to conduct research and then produced the first research project that led to the paper cited below on sago palms.
A few weeks later, through the help of Maria and Paul Dumas, and Maria's father Gagaj Kono', we were on Rotuma. We received permission of the council of chiefs to conduct research and then produced the first research project that led to the paper cited below on sago palms.
Later, my Ph.D research was conducted on sago palms. That interest began on Rotuma, largely due to the family of Michael and Ana Stevens and their welcoming Paul Cox and I to spend a day with them in the family farm and sago patch following up on a question Paul had about the Samoan name for the same plant: Niu Lotuma. On a later trip my wife, Valerie and our two children and I would all live with the Stevens family in the edge of their sago patch on Rotuma while conducting the M.S. work. The Stevens family loved us as their own and gave us what they could not afford. We experienced a sort of community on Rotuma that is uncommon in the U.S. and when we returned to the U.S. things felt colder, and not just because of the climate.
Later, my Ph.D research was conducted on sago palms. That interest began on Rotuma, largely due to the family of Michael and Ana Stevens and their welcoming Paul Cox and I to spend a day with them in the family farm and sago patch following up on a question Paul had about the Samoan name for the same plant: Niu Lotuma. On a later trip my wife, Valerie and our two children and I would all live with the Stevens family in the edge of their sago patch on Rotuma while conducting the M.S. work. The Stevens family loved us as their own and gave us what they could not afford. We experienced a sort of community on Rotuma that is uncommon in the U.S. and when we returned to the U.S. things felt colder, and not just because of the climate.
While working on Rotuma, many people opened their lives and shared with my family. As far as I am concerned, I owe my career and much more to the people of Rotuma.
While working on Rotuma, many people opened their lives and shared with my family. As far as I am concerned, I owe my career and much more to the people of Rotuma.
Publications
Publications
McClatchey, W. 2002. From Polynesian Healers to Health Food Stores: Changing Ethnopharmacology of Morinda citrifolia. Journal of Integrative Cancer Therapy. 1(2): 110-120.
McClatchey, W. 2002. From Polynesian Healers to Health Food Stores: Changing Ethnopharmacology of Morinda citrifolia. Journal of Integrative Cancer Therapy. 1(2): 110-120.
McClatchey, W. & V. McClatchey. 2001. One-way bridges: Ethical dilemmas faced by Polynesian healers who share their knowledge. In Building Bridges with Traditional Knowledge: An Exploration of Issues Involving Indigenous peoples, Conservation, Development and Ethnoscience. Edited by A. Paul and C. Peters. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY.
McClatchey, W. & V. McClatchey. 2001. One-way bridges: Ethical dilemmas faced by Polynesian healers who share their knowledge. In Building Bridges with Traditional Knowledge: An Exploration of Issues Involving Indigenous peoples, Conservation, Development and Ethnoscience. Edited by A. Paul and C. Peters. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY.
McClatchey, W., R. Thaman, & S. Vodonaivalu. 2000. A Preliminary Checklist of the Flora of Rotuma with Rotuman Names. Pacific Science 54:345-363.
McClatchey, W., R. Thaman, & S. Vodonaivalu. 2000. A Preliminary Checklist of the Flora of Rotuma with Rotuman Names. Pacific Science 54:345-363.
McClatchey, W. 1996. The Ethnopharmacopoeia of Rotuma. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 50:147-156.
McClatchey, W. 1996. The Ethnopharmacopoeia of Rotuma. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 50:147-156.
McClatchey, W. 1996. A revision of the genus Metroxylon section Coelococcus (Arecaceae). Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
McClatchey, W. 1996. A revision of the genus Metroxylon section Coelococcus (Arecaceae). Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
N'Yeurt, A.D.R., W. McClatchey, & H. Schmidt. 1996. A Bibliography of the Island of Rotuma. South Pacific Marine Studies Technical Publication, Suva, Fiji.
N'Yeurt, A.D.R., W. McClatchey, & H. Schmidt. 1996. A Bibliography of the Island of Rotuma. South Pacific Marine Studies Technical Publication, Suva, Fiji.
McClatchey, W. 1993. The Traditional Medicinal System and Ethnopharmacopoeia of Rotuma. Masters Thesis. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
McClatchey, W. 1993. The Traditional Medicinal System and Ethnopharmacopoeia of Rotuma. Masters Thesis. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
McClatchey, W. 1993. Traditional use of Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae) in Rotuma. Economic Botany 47:291-296.
McClatchey, W. 1993. Traditional use of Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae) in Rotuma. Economic Botany 47:291-296.
McClatchey, W & Paul A. Cox. 1992. Use of the Sago Palm Metroxylon warburgii in the Polynesian Island, Rotuma. Economic Botany 46:305-309.
McClatchey, W & Paul A. Cox. 1992. Use of the Sago Palm Metroxylon warburgii in the Polynesian Island, Rotuma. Economic Botany 46:305-309.