Brian Alofaituli outside of, “Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga Archives New Zealand”

Summer Travel Grant 2014 Recipient
Brian Alofaituli
EWC Graduate Degree Fellow

I would like to thank the EWC Alumni organization for the funding you provided to assist me with costs while in New Zealand.  I spent almost one-month in New Zealand conducting archival research at the University of Auckland’s Special Collection, Special Collection at the Turnball Library in Wellington and the National Archives of New Zealand in Wellington.  I also had the opportunity to visit with people at various museums and gatherings to discuss my topic. At the archives, most of my time was spent reading original and copied letters, government documents, memos and court reports related to my dissertation. I scanned nearly 500 pages of this material.

Brian Alofaituli conducting archival research.

I also had the opportunity to meet with archivists and researchers who focus on topics related to the Pacific such as religion. They provided great information to help me with my research. This phase was a great way to receive the training that helped me prepare for my next phase in London and Germany. I plan to be in Europe for 3-months. I’m now more focused on what to look for and what to avoid.  There are hundreds of boxes with thousands of papers generally related to my field. I had to hone in and fine tune my archival searching skills in order to use my time better.  I enjoyed every moment of this experience.  Thank you and mahalo to the Alumni EWC committee for your generous scholarship.

Best,

Brian Alofaituli

The East-West Center Association (EWCA) and the EWCA Hawaii Chapter provided Travel Grants ($500 each) to 10 current East West Center students in the summer of 2014.