16 Inclusive Resilience: Incorporating the Indigenous …
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their bures, such work would be too massive in the aftermath of a major disaster that
had caused a significant number of the village population to lose their homes. In the
same situation, a scarcity in the available resources for housing construction is also
expected.
Beyond these challenges, which are mostly internal to the villages, Fiji’s Cyclone
Winston experience in 2016 had surfaced more overarching factors that affecting
the construction of bure houses, such as government policy, codes of practice and
people’s desire for modern houses.
The aim of this study is to identify the policy-related factors that influence the
reconstruction of indigenous housing structures after a disaster. This prompts us to
ask the question: What systemic factors result in the construction of contemporary
houses in place of damaged bure houses in the post-disaster setting? How do we
enable communities to reconstruct their bure houses if they prefer to do so?
This study contributes towards Priority 3 of the Sendai Framework for Disaster
Risk Reduction (UNISDR 2015), which espouses the protection and preservation of
cultural heritage sites and structures. Additionally, it is very much in line with the
third objective of the IRDR agenda, which is to reduce risk and curb losses through
knowledge-based actions. The case study contributes towards filling the relatively
narrowly studied field of post-disaster heritage preservation.
16.4 Methodology
A case study approach was used in the study. Case studies are beneficial when trying
to answer questions of “how” or “why” and when dealing within real-life contexts
wherein the investigator has little control (Yin 2006). Herein, we investigate the postCyclone Winston housing reconstruction process in the village of Navala. Navala is
the sole remaining village in Fiji that has managed to predominantly consist of
traditional housing structures.
Grounded theory methodology was used to unravel the factors affecting the
rebuilding of bure houses. Grounded theory is a research approach that involves
a systematic collection of empirical data and then coding and generating hypotheses
(Glaser and Strauss 1967). Orlikowski (1993) suggests that grounded theory method
is advantageous when investigating processes.
For this study, the data collection methods included a direct observation of the
houses in the village, focus group discussion in the community, interviews with the
pertinent stakeholders and a review of relevant documents, which included postdisaster assessment reports, policies, plans, the National Building Code of Fiji and
related scientific literature.
A focus group discussion was conducted with the Navala residents (G1). The
focus group had a total of 12 people, which included the ratu (chief), the turaga
ni koro (village headman), clan leaders and village elders. Of the twelve, two were
female and ten were male. The focus group discussion ran for approximately 90 min
and was centred around their post-disaster housing reconstruction experience.
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their bures, such work would be too massive in the aftermath of a major disaster that
had caused a significant number of the village population to lose their homes. In the
same situation, a scarcity in the available resources for housing construction is also
expected.
Beyond these challenges, which are mostly internal to the villages, Fiji’s Cyclone
Winston experience in 2016 had surfaced more overarching factors that affecting
the construction of bure houses, such as government policy, codes of practice and
people’s desire for modern houses.
The aim of this study is to identify the policy-related factors that influence the
reconstruction of indigenous housing structures after a disaster. This prompts us to
ask the question: What systemic factors result in the construction of contemporary
houses in place of damaged bure houses in the post-disaster setting? How do we
enable communities to reconstruct their bure houses if they prefer to do so?
This study contributes towards Priority 3 of the Sendai Framework for Disaster
Risk Reduction (UNISDR 2015), which espouses the protection and preservation of
cultural heritage sites and structures. Additionally, it is very much in line with the
third objective of the IRDR agenda, which is to reduce risk and curb losses through
knowledge-based actions. The case study contributes towards filling the relatively
narrowly studied field of post-disaster heritage preservation.
16.4 Methodology
A case study approach was used in the study. Case studies are beneficial when trying
to answer questions of “how” or “why” and when dealing within real-life contexts
wherein the investigator has little control (Yin 2006). Herein, we investigate the postCyclone Winston housing reconstruction process in the village of Navala. Navala is
the sole remaining village in Fiji that has managed to predominantly consist of
traditional housing structures.
Grounded theory methodology was used to unravel the factors affecting the
rebuilding of bure houses. Grounded theory is a research approach that involves
a systematic collection of empirical data and then coding and generating hypotheses
(Glaser and Strauss 1967). Orlikowski (1993) suggests that grounded theory method
is advantageous when investigating processes.
For this study, the data collection methods included a direct observation of the
houses in the village, focus group discussion in the community, interviews with the
pertinent stakeholders and a review of relevant documents, which included postdisaster assessment reports, policies, plans, the National Building Code of Fiji and
related scientific literature.
A focus group discussion was conducted with the Navala residents (G1). The
focus group had a total of 12 people, which included the ratu (chief), the turaga
ni koro (village headman), clan leaders and village elders. Of the twelve, two were
female and ten were male. The focus group discussion ran for approximately 90 min
and was centred around their post-disaster housing reconstruction experience.