Summary and Objectives

Students’ study of selected objects from Austronesia (Philippines, Indonesia, Polynesia and beyond) provides opportunities to examine the roles that art plays in communicating peoples’ heritage and history. Activities encompass object study to investigate visual symbolism, work with maps and migration patterns to understand how geography and movement shapes family and community traditions, and creative writing to explore the importance of ancestry in communities’ values and belief systems. Students will

• Gain a deeper understanding of the communicative role of the arts through a study of Austronesian arts.
• Use maps to discuss reasons for immigration and its impact on the cultural traditions of Austronesian peoples.
• Explore their own and Austronesian origin stories and belief systems through poetry writing.
• Analyze visual symbolism to understand the importance of ancestry in Austronesian culture.