Destruction of the 1912 Lenakel Church (Tanna, Vanuatu) in Cyclone Pam, and Thoughts for the Future of the Site

James L. Flexner; Martin J. Jones; Philip D. Evans

doi:10.1007/s10761-015-0304-7

Destruction of the 1912 Lenakel Church (Tanna, Vanuatu) in Cyclone Pam, and Thoughts for the Future of the Site

James L. Flexner^*, Martin J. Jones, Philip D. Evans

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We report on the destruction of the 1912 Tanna Church by tropical Cyclone Pam, which struck Vanuatu on the 13th March 2015. This building was a very significant prefabricated timber structure that had been archaeologically recorded in great detail. Detailed documentation mitigates to some extent the loss of the physical structure, especially when considered alongside the community’s interests in the intangible values of the site. Returning to the site after the building’s destruction allowed us to record some new details, and to discuss future heritage plans with representatives from local communities.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	463-469
Number of pages	7
Journal	International Journal of Historical Archaeology
Volume	20
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-015-0304-7
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2016

Access to Document

10.1007/s10761-015-0304-7

Cite this

@article{044e31d4cc5446e986937f46f7dd1b7d,

title = "Destruction of the 1912 Lenakel Church (Tanna, Vanuatu) in Cyclone Pam, and Thoughts for the Future of the Site",

abstract = "We report on the destruction of the 1912 Tanna Church by tropical Cyclone Pam, which struck Vanuatu on the 13th March 2015. This building was a very significant prefabricated timber structure that had been archaeologically recorded in great detail. Detailed documentation mitigates to some extent the loss of the physical structure, especially when considered alongside the community{\textquoteright}s interests in the intangible values of the site. Returning to the site after the building{\textquoteright}s destruction allowed us to record some new details, and to discuss future heritage plans with representatives from local communities.",

keywords = "Heritage, Natural disaster, Vanuatu",

author = "Flexner, {James L.} and Jones, {Martin J.} and Evans, {Philip D.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.",

year = "2016",

month = jun,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1007/s10761-015-0304-7",

language = "English",

volume = "20",

pages = "463--469",

journal = "International Journal of Historical Archaeology",

issn = "1092-7697",

publisher = "Springer",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Destruction of the 1912 Lenakel Church (Tanna, Vanuatu) in Cyclone Pam, and Thoughts for the Future of the Site

AU - Flexner, James L.

AU - Jones, Martin J.

AU - Evans, Philip D.

PY - 2016/6/1

Y1 - 2016/6/1

N2 - We report on the destruction of the 1912 Tanna Church by tropical Cyclone Pam, which struck Vanuatu on the 13th March 2015. This building was a very significant prefabricated timber structure that had been archaeologically recorded in great detail. Detailed documentation mitigates to some extent the loss of the physical structure, especially when considered alongside the community’s interests in the intangible values of the site. Returning to the site after the building’s destruction allowed us to record some new details, and to discuss future heritage plans with representatives from local communities.

AB - We report on the destruction of the 1912 Tanna Church by tropical Cyclone Pam, which struck Vanuatu on the 13th March 2015. This building was a very significant prefabricated timber structure that had been archaeologically recorded in great detail. Detailed documentation mitigates to some extent the loss of the physical structure, especially when considered alongside the community’s interests in the intangible values of the site. Returning to the site after the building’s destruction allowed us to record some new details, and to discuss future heritage plans with representatives from local communities.

KW - Heritage

KW - Natural disaster

KW - Vanuatu

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84940833335&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s10761-015-0304-7

DO - 10.1007/s10761-015-0304-7

M3 - Article

SN - 1092-7697

VL - 20

SP - 463

EP - 469

JO - International Journal of Historical Archaeology

JF - International Journal of Historical Archaeology

IS - 2

ER -

Destruction of the 1912 Lenakel Church (Tanna, Vanuatu) in Cyclone Pam, and Thoughts for the Future of the Site

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this