Micronesian Experiences of the War in the Pacific
Poyer, Lin (1991). White, Geoffrey (ed.). Micronesian Experiences of the War in the Pacific. Cultural Encounters in the Pacific War. Manoa, HI: University of Hawaii at Manoa. pp. 78–89.
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Abstract: Since the initial encounters of Micronesians and Europeans in the sixteenth century Micronesia has undergone colonial rule by four world powers: Spain (mid-1500s to 1899), Germany (1899-1914), Japan (1914-1944), and the United States (1944 to the current termination of United Nations trustee-ship). The first three changes of control between colonial rulers were accomplished with little impact on Islanders. When the United States wrested control of the area from Japan, however, it was by some of the most destructive and bloodiest fighting of World War II. World War II was global warfare and Micronesians were caught in the middle of the Japanese and Allied contest for the central Pacific. Under Japanese military control Micronesians were subjected to harsh discipline, forced labor, relocation, and the confiscation of farm products. Some men were drafted into the military and took part in the fighting. Other men, women, and children worked on military construction and picked up the load of extra labor to provide food, clothing, and shelter for themselves and the Japanese soldiers and civilians living with them. Micronesians also suffered the danger and destruction of Allied military attack, and the material shortages and psychological pressures of the war years. As Allied forces achieved victory in the Pacific, wartime hardships were dramatically replaced by a massive influx of American goods and personnel, and Micronesians came under United States administration, which espoused democratic ideals and tolerance of native tradition, but had its own agenda for the islands' future. The brief, intense period of change during and after the war years provided Islanders with novel experiences and understandings of themselves and their relationships with foreigners. The results of the impact continue to shape Micronesian society. 79 LIN POYER Background
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MAG: 2244448502 CorpusID: 131055563 OpenAlex: W2244448502
