The Rock of Polynesia: Niuean Values and Concepts in Sport and Physical Activity

Abstract

Niue people are relatively physically active and often involved in a range of experiences: village tournaments, South Pacific games, island events, school sports, and everyday life. Although there is a growing body of Niuean scholarly research focused on art, language, and climate change, there is limited research about the relationship between Niuean values in sport and physical activity. The purpose of this thesis is to illuminate Niuean values and concepts that are used in sport and physical activity, and examine how sport and physical activity contexts can teach Niuean values. This thesis is underpinned by Niuean knowledge and framed within a structure I define as the ‘Tika journey’ which consists of five parts, beginning with ‘Starting the Tika journey’, where I describe my positioning and interest in Niue and sport as a researcher. The next stage is ‘Gathering materials’, where I critically examine key literature on Niuean and other Indigenous cultural values and concepts in traditional and non-traditional sport, physical activity, and a variety of contexts. Next involves ‘Making the Tika’. In this chapter, I focus on the methodological framework of this thesis by discussing the use of culturally responsive research methods, including my rationale for using in-depth Talanoa and describing how Talanoa allowed my participants to share authentic Niuean knowledge and experiences in sport and physical activity. I then ‘Use the Tika’, by drawing on the Talanoa to describe the findings of four key Niuean values and concepts: Fakalilifu, Vagahau Niue, Kaufakalataha and Magafaoa, which I refer to as ‘Ta Tika’. Here I examine how these relate to sport and physical activity contexts, and how they are understood and experienced by my participants, leading to the creation of a ‘Ta Tika’ model. The final part of the Tika journey is ‘Tika longevity’. Here I conclude the thesis by discussing key implications and recommendations of this research project, and describe how Niuean values and concepts in sport and physical activity can be used in the future to empower Niuean knowledge.