Current Status

Associate Professor and Chair,

Department of Anthropology,

Okanagan University College

3333 College Way

Kelowna, B.C. V1V 1V7

nmcpherson@ouc.bc.ca

Degrees Earned

Ph.D. Anthropology, McMaster University, 1985 Thesis Title: Primogeniture and Primogenitor: Firstborn Child and Mortuary Ceremonies among the Kabana (Bariai), West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Supervisor: Prof. David Counts.

MA Anthropology, McMaster University, 1980

BA Sociology and Anthropology, Simon Fraser University, 1979

Field Research

1993 Ethnohistorical data collection (archival and life history interviews) with Australian Colonial Administrators (retired) of Papua New Guinea. Australia. May - August, 1993 [SSHRCC 410-93-1442]

1985 Data Collection for postdoctoral study: The Reproductive Care System in Bariai, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. June - December, 1985

1982-83 Data collection for doctoral study: The Firstborn Child and Mortuary Ceremonies in Bariai, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. May 1982 - June 1983.

1981 Pre-doctoral research and data collection on Concepts of Age & Gender in Bariai, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. April - August 1981.

Research Area & Topical Interests

Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, Oceania

Gender relations; life-cycle; ethno-obstetrics; ethnohistory (Anthropology & colonialism); symbolism and myth; belief systems and cosmology; kinship and family; social change; Feminist Anthropology; history of Anthropology.

Publications: Books

2001

In Colonial New Guinea: Anthropological Perspectives. Naomi M. McPherson (ed.) ASAO Monograph Series Nbr. 19. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.

Publications: Articles and Book Reviews

2001

Review of Paul Sillitoe (2000) Social Change in Melanesia: Development and History. Cambridge University Press. Anthropologica 49(2).

Review of Harriet Whitehead (2000) Food Rules: Hunting, Sharing and Tabooing Game in Papua New Guinea. The University of Michigan Press. Journal of Ritual Studies Review Forum. December 2001.

Introduction. In Colonial New Guinea: Anthropological Perspectives. Naomi M. McPherson (ed.) ASAO Monograph Series Nbr. 19 Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. pp 1-14.

Wanted, Young Man: Must Like Adventure: Ian MacCallum Mack, Patrol Officer. In Colonial New Guinea: Anthropological Perspectives. Naomi M. McPherson (ed.) ASAO Monograph Series Nbr. 19. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. Pp. 81-110.

1999

Culture Shock: Encountering Others, Encountering Ourselves. In Culture Shock: Experiencing 'The Other'. Kevin Roberts, Andra Thakur and Gary Tunnell, eds. Lantzville, B.C.: Eletheria Press.

1997

A Question of Morality: Sorcery and Concepts of Deviance among the Kabana, West New Britain. IN Magic, Witchcraft and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural. Fourth Edition. Arthur C. Lehman and J.E. Meyers, eds. Mountainview, Ca: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Review of The Plantation Dream: Developing British New Guinea and Papua, 1884-1942. By D.C. Lewis. The Journal of Pacific History: Canberra. 1996. In Pacific Affairs Vol. 70(1) Spring 1997.

Firstborn House (Vol. 1.X.10); Birth House (Vol. 1.X.14); Kabana (Vol. 2.III.5) In Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World. (2 Vols.). Paul Oliver, ed. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.

1996

Review of Women Writing Culture. Ruth Behar and Deborah A. Gordon, eds. University of California Press: Berkeley. 1995. Anthropologica 38(1):102-105.

Review of Beauty Queens on the Global Stage: Gender, Contests and Power. Colleen Ballerino Cohen, Richard Wilk, Beverly Stoeltje, eds. New York and London: Routledge, 1996. Anthropologica 38(1) 102-105.

1994

The Legacy of Moro the Snake-Man in Bariai. IN Children of Kilibob: Creation, Cosmos and Culture in Northeast New Guinea. A. Pomponio, D.R. Counts, T.G. Harding, eds. Special Issue, Pacific Studies 17(4)153:181.

Modern Obstetrics in a Rural Setting: Women and Reproduction in Northwest New Britain. IN Urban Anthropology and Studies of Cultural Systems and World Economic Development. Special Issue: Women and Development in the Pacific. J. Dickerson-Putnam (editor). 23(1): 39-72.

1993

Review of From Muyuw to the Trobriands: Transformations Along the Northern Side of the Kula Ring. Frederick H. Damon. The University of Arizona Press: Tucson. 1990. 285 pp. Anthropologica Vol. 355:133-134.

1991

A Question of Morality: Sorcery and Concepts of Deviance among the Kabana, West New Britain. Anthropologica 33 (1-2):127-143.

1986

Childbirth: A Case History from West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Oceania 57: 33 - 52.

1985

Death by Sorcery: The Social Dynamics of Dying in Bariai, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea IN Aging and Its Transformations: Moving Towards Death in Pacific Societies. ASAO Monograph Series No. 10. D.A. Counts and D.R. Counts (eds.) University Press of America. Washington. Pp. 223-247.

Submitted for Publication:

Under Review: Sovosovo: Myth, Primogeniture and Long distance Trade Friends in Northwest New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Chapter 6 in The Politics of Trade and Friendship in the Pacific: Essays on the anthropology of social fields and regional networks. J.E. Terrell and R.L. Welsch, eds. New Guinea Research Program, The Field Museum, Chicago.

Professional and Community Services

2000-01 Invited Host: An Evening of Australian Aboriginal Women's Traditional Dreamtime Stories in Dance and Song. The Kapululangu Women's Law and Culture Centre, Wirriman, Western Australia. Ki-Low-Na Friendship Centre, Kelowna, B.C. June 24, 2001.

Invited MC: Hands Across the Water, Hands Across the Generations: Indigenous Youth Perspectives on Culture and Traditions. Conference Organized by Pacific Peoples' Partnership, Victoria, B.C. Sponsored by CIDA. Ki-Low-Na Friendship Centre, Kelowna, B.C. June 23, 2001.

Co-Facilitator / Sponsor (With P. Tomic) of Special Guest Lecturer, Dr. Habiba Zaman (Women's Studies, SFU) Public Lecture entitled: Feminization of Migration: Poverty and De-Skilling of Women Workers in Canada. Okanagan University College Arts Colloquium. March, 2001.

1999-00 Host and Facilitator for visit to OUC from Silina Masi, Co-Ordinator, and Maggie Vuadreu, Elder, Healer and Vice-Chair, Wainimate, Women's Association for Natural Medicinal Therapy, of Suva, Fiji. September 1999.

Host and Facilitator for Public Lectures entitled Crisis in East Timor. Guest Lecturer Mr. Randall Garrison, Pacific Rim Studies, Camosun College. North Campus, September 1999.

Host and Facilitator for Public Lecture entitled From Sudbury to Sulawesi: Canada's International Nickel Co. and Environmental Refugees in Indonesia. Mr. Arianto Sangaji, Indonesian Environmentalist and Director of the Free Earth Foundation. KLO Campus, January 31, 2000

Host and Facilitator with Pacific Peoples' Partnership (Victoria), with Lyle Mueller (OUC First Nations Advisor) and Edna Terbasket (Okanagan Elder and Member of the OUC Board) for Indigenous Wisdom, which brought eight Chiefs, Traditional Leaders, Artists and Activists from South Pacific Island nations to meet with Okanagan First Nations. May, 9-11, 2000.

1998- 9 Work with Mr. Dan Bruce, Adjunct Professor, Dept. Anthropology, OUC, and Department of Anthropology faculty to found and set-up an Okanagan University College Museum of Anthropology and Arts.

1997- 8 Work with Mr. Dan Bruce, Ass't director, Kelowna Centennial Museum to set up Melanesian Artifacts Research Project for Anth351 Students Facilitator, Round Table discussion on Gender Issues Cross-Cultural Perspectives. World University Services Canada Conference, OUC, Kelowna, B.C. January 30-31, 1998. Organizer and Host: Annual Majors Meet the Profs Feast

Public Lectures

2000 Engendered Space: Men's House, Women's Houses in West New Britain. OUC Arts Faculty Colloquium. Okanagan University College, March 15, 2000

1997 The Myth of the Primitive Isolate: Trade Friendships in West New Britain, PNG. Arts Colloquia Series, Okanagan University College, September 1997.

1995-96 Gender, Reproductive Technologies and Medical Anthropology Guest Lecturer, Nursing 413: Self and Others IV, September 27, 1996

Women as Spirits and Women's Spirituality in New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Celebrating Women's History Month, October 2, 1996, KLO Campus

Cross-Cultural Concepts of Illness and Well-being. Pastoral Care Department, Kelowna General Hospital, November 15, 1995

Lives of Girls and Women: Images from Papua New Guinea, Celebrating International Women's Day, March 4,1996, North Kelowna Campus.

1994-95 Colonial Presences: Perspectives on Colonialism, Papua New Guinea, 1939-1975.

Arts Research Colloquium Series. Okanagan University College. September, 1994.

Highlands Images 1950-1955: photography as an ethnographic tool. Guest Lecture. Okanagan University College Anthropology Students Club. October 1994.

Conferences Organized

2001-02 Co-Organizer, Worlds Indigenous Peoples Conference, for October 2002, Okanagan University College: Internationalizing the Curriculum.

1995-96 (Re)Turning Right: Culture, Politics and Society Approaching the Millennium. Organizer and President, The 34th Meeting of the Western Association for Sociology & Anthropology, Capri Hotel, Kelowna, B.C. May 9-11, 1996.

Symposia Organized

1998 Colonialism in Papua New Guinea. Formal Symposium: Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Pensacola, FL. February 3-7, 1998.

1997 The Culture of Contact: Experiences of Colonialism in the Pacific. Working Session: Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. San Diego, CA. February 19-27, 1996.

1996 Experiences of Colonialism in the Pacific. Working Session: The 25th Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. February 6-11, 1996.

1995 The Australian Mandate in PNG. Call for Papers/ Informal Session. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Clearwater, Florida. February 1995.

1987 Primogeniture in Pacific Societies. Formal Symposium. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania, Monterey, California, February 1987.

1986 Primogeniture in Pacific Societies. Working Session. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania, New Harmony, Indiana, March, 1986.

1985 Openers of the Womb: The Concept of Primogeniture in Pacific Societies. Informal Session. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Salem, Mass., March 1985.

Papers Presented at Professional Meetings

2000 Women's Houses, Men's Houses: Gender, Cosmology and Traditional Dwellings in a West New Britain Community. Formal Symposium. Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Vancouver, B.C. February 15-19, 2000.

2000 Health Issues in Bariai. Informal Session entitled "New Healths for Old: Living the Health Transition in the Pacific." Dr. D. Drozdow-St. Christian and H. Young-Leslie, Organizers. Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Vancouver, B.C. Feb. 15-19, 2000.

1999 Women's Houses, Men's Houses: Gender, Cosmology and Traditional Dwellings in a West New Britain Community (in absentia) Working session Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Hilo, Hawai'i, February 4-7, 1999.

1998 "Wanted: Young Men, Must Like Adventure": Patrol Officer Ian Mack, New Britain, 1926-1933. In The Culture of Contact: Experiences of Colonialism in the Pacific. Symposium: Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Pensacola, Fl. February 3 - 7, 1998.

1998 Galiki, Culture Heroine: Women, Femininity and Power in Kabana Mythology. Informal Session on Power/Gender Transformations in Pacific Narratives, J. Mageo, Organizer: Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Pensacola, Fl. February 3 - 7, 1998.

1997 "Wanted: Young Men, Must Like Adventure": Patrol Officer Ian Mack, New Britain, 1926-1933. In The Culture of Contact: Experiences of Colonialism in the Pacific. N. McPherson, Organizer, Working Session: Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. San Diego, CA. February 19-27, 1997.

1997 Galiki: the Ideal Female and the Feminine Ideal in Kabana Mythology. In Superheroines: Mythology and Gender in the Pacific. Working Session: Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. San Diego, CA. February 19-27, 1997. Session Organizer, J. Mageo.

1997 Culture Shock: Encountering Others, Encountering Ourselves. In The Conference entitled Beyond Culture Shock: Experiences of the "Other". Organizers A.P. Thakur and G. Tunnell. Malaspina University College, Nanaimo, B.C. May 3, 1997

1996 Wanted, Young Men, Must Like Adventure: The Kiap in Papua New Guinea. Paper to be presented IN The Culture of Contact: Experiences of Colonialism in the Pacific. 25th Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. February 6-11, 1996.

1995 The Culture of Contact: The Australian Mandate in PNG. Call for Papers/ Informal Session. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Clearwater, Florida. February 1995.

1992 Why the Cassowary Can't Fly: A Kabana Folktale. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Symposium, "For the Children: Representations of Oceania for the North American Audience". New Orleans, February 19-22, 1992.

1992 Women, Reproductive Knowledge and Stratification in West New Britain. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Working symposium, Women, Age and Power: The Politics of Age Differences Among Women. New Orleans, February , 1992

1992 Modern Obstetrics in a Rural Setting: Childbirth and Change in West New Britain. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Working Symposium, Women and Development. New Orleans, February, 1992

1991 The Legacy of Moro the Snake-Man in Bariai, West New Britain. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Formal Symposium, The Children of Kilibob, A. Pomponio and T. Harding, organizers, in Honour of Professor Peter Lawrence. Victoria, B.C., March, 1991

1990 The Legacy of Moro: Myth, Tradition and the Prestige Economy in Bariai. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Working Session entitled: The Children of Kilibob: Creation, Cosmos and Culture in the Southwest Pacific. Kauai, Hawaii, March 1990

1990 Women's Houses, Men's Houses: Gender, Cosmology and Traditional Dwellings in a West New Britain Community. Second International Conference for the Study of Traditional Environments. University of California, Berkeley. October 4-7, 1990

1986 Lautabe: The Firstborn as Parental Exemplar in West New Britain. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. New Harmony, Indiana, March 6-9, 1986 (Working Symposium)

1986 Modern Obstetrics in a Rural Setting: Childbirth and Change in West New Britain, PNG. Informal Symposium entitled: Health Related Issues in the Pacific. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. New Harmony, Indiana, March, 1986

1985 Primogeniture: Issues and Ideas. The Annual Meeting of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania. Salem, Mass., March 8-10, 1985 (Informal Symposium)

1984 Not Just Something Females Do: The Birthing Process in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The Annual Meeting of the Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association. Symposium: "Research on Childbirth: A Multidisciplinary Forum". University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario. June 1984

1984 A Question of Morality: Sorcery and Concepts of Deviance among the Kabana, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Conference on Deviance in a Cross-Cultural Perspective. University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario. June 1984.