“Summoning Breadfruit” and “Opening Seas”: Toward a Performative Ecology in Oceania

Abstract

Abstract This article explores the implications of a performative ecology in Oceania by examining musical practices of “summoning breadfruit” and “opening seas” (wayfinding) in the Federated States of Micronesia. In the islands of Chuuk, dynamic relationships between music and environment demonstrate a deep engagement with place and performativity and a musical interdependence with the Oceanic surroundings. By examining remembered and present-day musical practices, I argue for a relational indigenous perspective that brings together ideas about performance, the physical environments of land and sea, and their integrated spiritual dimensions.