Oral Genealogies in the Pacific Islands

By Kip Sperry

Several hundred Pacific Island genealogies have been recorded by representatives of the Genealogical Society of Utah since the 1930s. This chapter is a survey and description of oral histories, also known as oral genealogies, which have been recorded in the Pacific Islands and preserved at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The majority of these lineage-linked genealogies were recorded on reel-to-reel tapes during the 1960s and 1970s. Many of these oral interviews relate to genealogies of Latter-day Saint families, but other families are included in the oral histories as well; however, most genealogies pertain to ancestors and progeny of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints residing in the Pacific.

Background

Genealogies were originally preserved by memory of the island people, primarily adults, known as oral genealogies and oral tradition. The oral genealogies give names of individuals and relationships for multiple generations. Many Pacific Islanders prior to European contact memorized names of their ancestors, which may have been associated with proof of ownership of tribal and family lands.[4] William A. Cole, former head of the Polynesian Unit at the Genealogical Department, and Elwin W. Jensen, former director of Records Processing and former supervisor of the Polynesian Unit at the Genealogical Department, inform us that individuals who do Polynesian genealogy become aware “that the only records which antedate the advent of the [Europeans] in the Pacific, which are available to the Polynesians today, are the stories, genealogies and traditions which were preserved in the memories of the people.”[5] Confirming that genealogical information is sacred, Derek Metcalfe, former manager of the Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific areas in the Acquisitions Division of the Genealogical Department, observed that “oral genealogies have been handed down from generation to generation in an effort to preserve rank and succession.” Metcalfe further states that “the right to recite a genealogy was in some instances a jealously guarded privilege.”[6] V. Foli Po’uha Fisiipeau, who worked for many years as a Polynesian records specialist in the Names Processing Unit of the Genealogical Department, confirms further that “Polynesians kept [their] own histories in [their] memories and passed them down orally, from one generation to another, through memorized chants, dances, songs, legends, and pictorial designs.”[7]

John W. Orton, a former manager in the Acquisitions Division of the Genealogical Department, confirms the value of oral histories and oral pedigrees when he states that “written records of peoples indigenous to the Pacific Islands … were not kept until the Europeans introduced the practice.” Orton further explains, “The people in the Polynesian Islands made no written records of individuals in their society until about the mid-nineteenth century. In spite of this, Polynesians today trace their lineages back many generations, often much earlier than Europeans who have written genealogical sources dating from the fifteenth century.”[8] Oral traditions and genealogies are valuable for tracing lineages in the Pacific Islands.

Originally, Pacific Islanders were identified by only one name, a given name, which may have been descriptive. Later, they began adding surnames, especially after Europeans arrived in the islands. Some people may have received honorary names. Regarding given names and surnames, William Cole and Elwin Jensen have observed that surnames as we know them today were generally not used by the Polynesians prior to the time of the coming of Europeans. They state that “under European influence, Polynesians began to adopt the modern name styles.”[9] However, Cole and Jensen inform us that “no explanation of types of names, and name styles, would apply to every Polynesian group,” even though “there are many similarities between the peoples of all the island groups. On the other hand, each group has certain peculiarities of its own in the use of names.” A major “problem with Polynesian names is that neither given names, nor family surnames, were standardized or made permanent. One [Pacific Island] family may give a person’s name in one fashion, while another branch of the family may give the name of this same person in another manner.”[10]

Languages in the Pacific Islands were not written until the mid-nineteenth century. Spelling was not standardized—the same name may appear differently in historical and genealogical records. Researchers need to be aware of spelling variations of given names and surnames when researching Pacific Island pedigrees, as well as genealogies for other regions. Surnames were not used in the Pacific Islands before the mid-nineteenth century. In addition, some distinct Polynesian names sound or are written very similarly.

Pacific Island genealogies do not always indicate the gender of the person. Thus it may sometimes be difficult to distinguish between male and female names from the oral genealogies or written records, sometimes known as ancestral stories, genealogy books, or origin stories (depending on the island). Oral genealogies were kept by island leaders and nobility. Researchers may be able to determine gender clues from the person’s name, place of residence, traditions, local legends, or stories.

The indigenous people of New Zealand are known as Maori. While discussing Maori research, Irene Beazley, a genealogist who resides in Hamilton, New Zealand, observed that “the Maori people taught the eldest son the names of the family ancestors. If the eldest son was unable to fulfill his duties, the names were taught to the son who was found to be most capable.”[11] Beazley further states that “Maori people are known for having an extensive knowledge of their ancestry, and there are many legends that get handed down orally. Some legends contain information about families, while others speak of Tribes and Tribal Customs, their Chiefs, wars, and the coming of ‘the White Man’ (Pakeha).”[12]

Regarding surnames in Polynesian genealogies, William Cole observes that surnames were unknown until a very recent date. For example, the name Keita Ropiha will appear in some genealogies as Keita and in others as Keita Ropiha—such names may appear twice in an index—once as Keita Ropiha and once as Ropiha, Keita.[13]

Dates of events, such as births, marriages, and deaths, were not kept until Europeans arrived. Thus there is often a scarcity of dates in South Pacific genealogies.[14] This problem is partially solved by beginning the pedigree with the person being interviewed and working backward. The age, birth date, and marriage date of the person being interviewed is a good place to begin calculating dates.[15] The person interviewed may also know his or her parents’ and grandparents’ dates of birth, marriage, and death, as well as localities (where the events occurred). A knowledge of culture, history, and tradition is also helpful when calculating historical and genealogical dates of Pacific Island residents.

Many Pacific Island genealogies have been written, while others have been recorded in computer databases. Noel Cardon, former instructional developer at the Genealogical Department, relates that “many Tongan families keep a genealogical relationship chart (hohoko) where they write the names of their ancestors, descendants, and other relatives,” and other information. One Tongan wrote her chart on a sail cloth, while another person used a computer with an architectural computer program.[16]

How reliable are oral genealogies? Regarding credibility of the genealogies, it must be remembered that the Pacific Islands was an oral society. Although some professional genealogists are skeptical of oral genealogies since they are preserved by memory, the genealogies are usually considered a reliable source by most researchers. Elwin Jensen discussed this subject when he said that “many qualified experts agree that … most Polynesian oral genealogies are acceptable, and reasonably accurate within their own tribal groups… . But at the least, the modern-day Islander should be able to unravel the lineages, and prepare an acceptable pedigree of his noble ancestry, and provide for his posterity a meaningful traditional heritage which may be looked upon with justifiable pride.”[17] Noel Cardon has also observed that “some Islanders have a specific order in which they recite a formal genealogy.”[18] In addition to oral histories, other sources, such as newspapers, are also available to researchers.

About the Source

The preceding text was taken from the website of the Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center. Interestingly, the article and research was conducted with a focus on members of the Latter Day-Saints church in the Pacific Islands.

About the Author

Kip Sperry is a professor emeritus of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University. He teaches family history and American and LDS genealogical research methods and sources. He also serves as supervisor of the BYU student Family History Lab and is the family history area coordinator for Religious Education. Brother Sperry received his degrees from BYU: an undergraduate degree in American genealogy and a graduate degree in library and information science. He was also presented with the Richard Lloyd Anderson Research Award from BYU in 2003.

Read the text online at rs.byu.edu