Ulamila is of Fijian (Natewa) and Cook Islands (Aitutaki/Rarotonga) descent. She is a PhD scholar at the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies with research thesis titled ‘Indigenous gender and status of women in customary land structures: A comparative of the Cook Islands and Fiji’. Ulamila worked in Fiji, Cook Islands, and regional newsrooms for two decades and has been an independent consultant since 2009 (gender, sustainable development, climate change, indigenous and social issues ). She has a Master of Politics from the University of Otago with research on ‘Political participation of indigenous Fijian women in New Zealand’.
Research
Indigenous gender roles and the status of women in customary land structures: A comparative of the Cook Islands and Fiji
A critical analysis of indigenous-landowner narratives, in both the Cook Islands and Fiji, to identify the pre-European gender economy and the recent impact of western patriarchal practices. These have implications for both bilineal and unilineal customary land structures. The study employs post-colonial theory to examine the correlation between customary land structures, decision-making powers of indigenous women, their cultural, political and economic statuses.
