The foundation of island identity: Chamorro maritime practices and resistance in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Abstract

Scholars have used terminal narratives when discussing Chamorro culture in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, especially in relation to its maritime connections. Researchers and administrators have done this explicitly by claiming that Chamorro people have lost touch with the sea because of long periods of colonization and implicitly through the routine omission of Chamorro people in studies of Micronesian cultures. Through a historical and archeological study that collaborates with contemporary Indigenous peoples, we argue that Chamorro maritime cultural identity, while it changed in response to the social environment, has persisted into the present. Maritime activities, particularly fishing and canoeing, have been a part of the daily lives of Chamorro people from 4,000 BP to the present, despite restrictions placed on these activities by four colonial powers. Furthermore, we find that asserting maritime connections have become a form of resistance in response to the current political climate.