History of Micronesia: A Collection of Source Documents: Vol. 36 Caroline Islands, F. W. Christian, 1896-1898
Levesque, Rodrigue (2006). History of Micronesia: A Collection of Source Documents: Vol. 36 Caroline Islands, F. W. Christian, 1896-1898. 36. Gatineau, Québec: Lévesque Publications. ISBN 978-0-920201-36-7.
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Abstract: HOM.36 (1896–1898) presents travel narratives, ethnographic descriptions, and historical observations from the journeys of Frederick William Christian, a British traveler and writer who visited several parts of Micronesia during the late nineteenth century. His accounts focus particularly on the Caroline Islands, including Pohnpei (Ponape), Kosrae (Kusaie), Chuuk (Truk Lagoon), Yap, and Palau, with additional references to the Marshall Islands and Mariana Islands. Christian’s travels brought him to locations such as Metalanim Harbor, Kiti, Sokehs, Kolonia, Tomil Harbor, Koror, and Babeldaob, where he recorded descriptions of landscapes, villages, canoe landings, and trading stations. His observations also note the presence of European traders, missionaries, and colonial officials who had begun establishing settlements and commercial outposts across the region.
The volume contains numerous references to individuals active in Micronesia at the end of the nineteenth century. Among those appearing in the narratives are traders such as David Dean O’Keefe of Yap, representatives of the Jaluit Company, Catholic missionaries including members of the Capuchin mission operating from Guam, and Protestant missionaries connected with earlier American mission stations in the Caroline Islands. Christian also describes meetings with indigenous leaders and communities in districts such as Kiti, U, Sokehs, and Nett on Pohnpei, as well as chiefs and councils in Yap and Palau, recording information on political authority, ceremonial practices, and village organization.
Christian’s writings also include descriptions of archaeological sites and historical traditions, notably the ruins of Nan Madol (Nan Matol) near Temwen Island in Pohnpei Lagoon, along with references to ancient stone structures, canals, and burial platforms associated with the Saudeleur dynasty. His observations extend to canoe construction, navigation between islands, agricultural practices, copra trading, and the circulation of European goods through trading schooners moving between Hong Kong, Manila, Sydney, Jaluit, and other Pacific ports. The materials in HOM.36 therefore provide references to locations and communities in Pohnpei, Yap, Palau, Chuuk, and Kosrae during the late Spanish colonial period in Micronesia, alongside accounts of traders, missionaries, and early German commercial interests that preceded the German annexation of the Caroline Islands in 1899.
