Samoa Journal #7 – RIP Sebastian
Citizen science moved indoors for the next phase. After the festive time splashing around in the river, it was time to save all the specimens for posterity.
The biology lab at National University of Samoa is a welcoming place, with lots of light and space. Edifying posters line the walls, so when you look up from your microscope you can have a quick review of childbirth or hipbones. In pride of place in the middle you will find “The Male Reproductive System”. I don’t know if anyone else was startled by the incongruity of larger-than-life male genitals towering over all the eager female students doing specimen processing, but then I’m known for fixating on irrelevant things. Let’s get back to our star students and dedicated scientists.
Right after the field trip, Michael, Diana and Kush, along with Faainu, Asonei, Sene (who is an expert on river life) and other NUS staff, taught all the students to separate out their finds, and put them in containers ready for processing the next day. The larvae, mollusks and other creatures enjoyed a last few moments before they were sealed up.
“Collecting” is of course a euphemism for “killing”. Sadly, the large shrimp (fondly named Sebastian by the students), having been sacrificed to science, no longer has any velocity.
This morning only three students showed up, including Tuaimoana and Loretta, who were partners today. There were plenty of staff people to both teach and learn, and Michael efficiently led the discussion. He is really dedicated: it’s hot in the lab, plus he has to speak in English and make himself understood in an unfamiliar accent. The same goes for Diana, and I’ve been impressed by their fortitude. They clearly love their subjects.
Michael went through all the steps of starting a collection of specimens. Every institution should have an acronym, for instance. “NUS” unfortunately is already taken by the National University of Singapore, so the staff here settled on NUSMC. There’s a specific way to make labels for collection (write in pencil for the labels inside the jars, so it lasts), a specific concentration of alcohol (70%), a specific code for imparting information on the labels. Here is what the second specimen officially collected in the Vaisigano River Citizen Science project says:
20232806
Vaisigano River/Aloa
NUSMC 00002
Mayfly
Shoreline/Forest
Tuaimoana and Loretta carefully worked on their specimens, doing that thing only girls of a certain age can do: have a blast and be completely serious at the same time. They worked on shrimp with great attention, separating them out so only the same species, collected at the same time in the same spot, would go in the same container. Diana came over and they all discussed the creatures and examined them minutely before sealing them in for posterity. Elsewhere, Sebastian met his/her fate as well.
The team seems pleased with the project, overall. Diana’s view: “I’m very happy. It’s been very cool. There was adaptation necessary. I wanted to lead them all on but that’s not how it works. They just disperse, and explore, and in the end that’s also how they learn. They didn’t go on their phones. They are interested in their own time and their own way. Learning by doing is what sticks, and that’s what creates good memories as well. When they do something on their own, they learn. We have the feeling that we created something sustainable. It might spark something that will last.”
Kush said, “We’ve built an ecosystem for a project. We can step back now and either support from afar or leave it to them.”
Michael is very optimistic and focused on next steps. He wants to make sure things are done properly. The NUS staff is interested in setting up a program at the university to teach the students about this type of collecting, which is great news.
The Übersee-Museum is standing by to provide support as a clearinghouse for information, or consultations online or in person. All things are possible: collaboration with other museums, academic institutions, passionate individuals. Let us hope Sebastian did not die in vain.
Samoa Journal #8 – Curtains Down
And so, under the spectacular and indifferent Southern skies, our motley crew splits up tomorrow. I asked Michael and Wiebke for any final thoughts, looking back on this time.
Michael remains steadfast in his absolute earnestness and devotion to his project. “I want to put it all together in a bigger view, with our water project,” he says. He is a scientist who sees the big picture. His wish list includes talking with diverse Samoans about Apia’s water supply, and the role of the river.
As for the citizen science project, “I know that every time you go in the field, it’s always different than you plan. Nature is a little more complicated than what people think. We can’t catch all the specimens, they were very good in escaping.” (Alas, not Sebastian.)
They worried about getting enough specimens, but they needn’t have. They were reminded that this is a very distant island, a very different island. We need to look very much more in detail to understand the ecosystem.
I echo that, with the human ecosystem. I’ve seen devout churchgoers and at least one lecherous pastor. I’ve seen tropical richness but where are the seabirds, the insects, the hawkers in the centre of town? I’ve seen the comforting family system but where is the motivation to innovate? After my brief visit here, I’m left feeling that either Samoa is missing some necessary layers or I’m missing the capacity to see them.
Wiebke feels very satisfied with the visit. Her workshops worked out exactly as she wanted. The only surprise was the repatriation question, which is clearly on the Samoans’ minds. They have raised the question, and now it must go through a formal process – from the university, to the government, to the Ambassador in Brussels. The plans to have an exhibition here are going well.
So everyone is reasonably happy. You might have noticed that I haven’t written about Mitiana’s opinions and reactions in these blogs, except to report on his fern-weaving skills. This is deliberate. I feel Mitiana deserves his own unique documentation, because his position is unique. He is the only one of the team who belongs to both the brown and white worlds, and I have watched in fascination as he navigates being utterly at home and simultaneously an outsider.
Wiebke was touched by the hospitality. Michael was encouraged by the students. Diana, Kush, everyone learned and enjoyed. Great. I do feel it is my duty as the fly on the wall to say that in this case, ignorance is definitely bliss. Since I didn’t really fit into either group, I got to hear everybody grumble about each other. And grumble they did. I’m not going to spill it all here, but let me just say that wires were crossed, intentions were misconstrued, and with the best of intentions on all sides, feathers were definitely ruffled, and not just those of the local bulbuls. Perhaps this is just the cost of living, of different people doing their best to pursue their own agendas while remaining considerate.
As for me, my brain is buzzing with bits of input that swirling chaotically around in my head. More Samoans outside Samoa than in. Chinese people marrying Samoans to get access to land. A village forbidding two-storey houses because the word for a two-storey house sounds too much like the name of the high chief. Pastors shaming their congregations into supporting them. Fines for having an imperfect lawn. An ocean full of colours straight from acid trips. Fishing out ten tala to walk on a beach, sit in a park, look at a waterfall, because everything belongs to somebody else and you can’t look for free. The world is so big and small and it’s been endlessly interesting, and I sign off with my horizons expanded, two weeks older, not particularly wiser.
Tofa Soifua, Tschuess.