Maritime Culture in the Western Pacific A Touch of Tradition

Ames, Todd (2013). "Maritime Culture in the Western Pacific A Touch of Tradition" (PDF). Pacific Asia Inquiry. 4 (1): 94–108. ISSN 2377-0929.

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Abstract: This paper considers the role of Maritime Culture in the Micronesian region and how this has influenced a wide array of cultural elements and social life in the region. Some of the objectives that will be addressed include; the relationship between cultural identity and traditional voyaging, the geographic constraints placed on island community’s economies, the effects of changing climatic patterns, the role of marine resources in village reciprocal exchange relationships, and some of the unique fishing methods that have been developed in the outer islands of Yap State. This paper is based on the author’s ethnographic observations, open-ended interviews and conversations conducted on multiple field trips over a six-year period to Yap and Chuuk States in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The critical results that came out of this work were the importance of preserving the knowledge of traditional navigation and voyaging as a part of Micronesian cultural identity, both for younger and older Micronesians. What also became evident is how the ocean is also one of the current threats to Micronesian maritime culture. Finally, this paper will address the continued importance of Micronesia’s marine resources for trade, subsistence, and economic livelihood. Due to remote island settlements reciprocity among the island people as well as bartering continues to play an important role on the outer islands of Yap.