Lin Poyer

Egalitarianism in the Face of Hierarchy

Research into egalitarianism and hierarchy continues to be important in understanding political and economic processes in all societies. These terms are relative, rather than absolute, categories and depend on cultural meanings as well as social action. The people of Sapwuahfik Atoll (Federated States of Micronesia) assert an ethos of egalitarianism while also valuing a traditional rank hierarchy adopted from neighboring Pohnpei Island. This paper describes how Sapwuahfik handles challenges to its egalitarian ethos and how public activities, especially feasts, maintain that ethos while acknowledging the legitimacy of the regional rank system. Sapwuahfik thus matches traditional polities with its powerful neighbor while protecting plausible egalitarianism within the community. The cultural linking of rank symbolism with community identity and the public management of status claims combine to make issues of rank a contested and fruitful domain of ideology and social action.

DIMENSIONS OF HUNGER IN WARTIME: CHUUK LAGOON, 1943–1945

ABSTRACT In war, deaths from disease and famine usually exceed combat deaths, and civilian suffering from food and other shortages extends far beyond the battlefield. This article uses historical and anthropological approaches, especially oral histories, to describe the experiences of Chuukese during the height of the Pacific War. Chuuk (formerly “Truk”), which had been under Japanese civilian rule before the war, served as a support base in the first years of war. In 1943, Micronesias strategic role changed and Chuuk was strongly garrisoned in preparation for anticipated Allied invasion. Some 38,000 Japanese civilians, laborers, and troops, along with approximately 10,000 Chuukese, spent the remainder of the war under military rule, isolated and under continual air attack. The human and natural resources of Chuuk Lagoon were strained to support this inflated population, with lasting effects. Islander memories of these years emphasize personal and social responses to the stresses of food shortages.

Micronesia's Wartime Generation: Experiences and Memories

In Micronesia, the years of World War II produced dramatic political, economic, and lifestyle shifts as Islanders experienced attacks and invasion, followed by a transition in governance. After more than three decades of colonial rule by Japan, the islands came under American control, first through military occupation administered by the U.S. Navy, then as a U.N. Trust Territory. This article examines how the impact of this historical moment—the transition in power due to military conquest—forever altered the lives of the generation that came to adulthood during the war years, and how that transition is encoded in memory.

World War II and the development of global indigenous identities

ABSTRACT The indigenous rights movement emerged in the last quarter of the twentieth century, establishing a newly conceptualized identity claimed not on the grounds of shared culture, language or ancestry but on shared experience as native peoples marginalized by colonial expansion. This article examines how the Second World War created conditions favouring the emergence of indigenous identity as a global concept. Using a comparative perspective, this paper considers two ways in which war conditions affected indigenous peoples: by highlighting issues of citizenship, loyalty and military service; and by altering how combatant powers evaluated indigenous cultures. While the experiences of particular groups varied widely, the wartime era focused attention on both policies of assimilation and assertions of distinctiveness, creating a fluid context for change. A global, comparative perspective offers insight into the role of the war era in understanding the relationship between indigenous activism and the international order.

Chuukese Experiences in the Pacific War

The lives of Pacific Islanders during World War II can be described through a combination of documentary and oral history. This article reviews the experiences of the people of Chuuk (formerly ‘Truk’) in the Central Caroline Islands during the Pacific War. Chuuk served as headquarters for the Japanese Imperial Navys Fourth Fleet and, later, rear area headquarters for the Combined Fleet. When the Japanese military shifted to defence in mid-1943, troops fortified the island, resulting in the confiscation of land and relocation of the Chuukese. From late 1943 to August 1945, Chuukese experience was shaped by Allied bombing, intensive labour demands from the Japanese garrison, and severe food shortages. After surrender, Chuuk was occupied by a minimal US Navy presence. The war and its aftermath shaped modern Chuuk through permanent changes in its resources, economy and political role.