Indigenous Conceptions of Landscape (Unit 8959)
University of Canberra
Lecturer: Dr Scott Heyes | Assistant: Mr Setoki Tuiteci

As part of the Faculty-Led Study Tour to Fiji, students from the University of Canberra participated in a 10-day immersive field program linked to the subject Indigenous Conceptions of Landscape. The program was convened by Dr Scott Heyes and supported by Mr Setoki Tuiteci, a Master of Environment (Research) student and Fijian local, who provided valuable insights into the land, language, geography, and political context of Fiji.

On Viti Levu, the tour included guided visits to farms, community gardens, villages, and informal settlements around Nadi and Suva, as well as a visit to Lapita archaeological sites at the Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park. In Suva, students met with professors and postgraduate students at the Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies at the University of the South Pacific, where they engaged in conversations about Fijian ways of knowing and seeing the landscape.

The final leg of the study tour took place on the island of Taveuni, where students collaborated with teachers and students from South Taveuni Primary School to support the development of an eco-library. Envisioned as a cultural and environmental documentation centre, the eco-library is intended to serve both the school and the broader community of Vuna. Its aim is to celebrate and preserve the deep connections between the people of Taveuni and their land, flora, and fauna.

The students were welcomed with traditional Fijian and Hindu performances, feasts, and generous hospitality. Several schoolteachers and Village Elders hosted the group, sharing knowledge and guiding students through local temples, farms, and culturally significant sites—offering a deeper understanding of the area’s living heritage and the layered histories embedded in the landscape.