Memories of War: Micronesians in the Pacific War
Micronesians often liken the Pacific War to a typhoon, one that swept away their former lives and brought dramatic changes to their understanding of the world and their place in it. Whether they spent the war in bomb shelters, in sweet potato fields under the guns of Japanese soldiers, or in their homes on atolls sheltered from the war, Micronesians who survived those years know that their peoples passed through a major historical transformation. Yet Pacific War histories scarcely mention the...
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Micronesians often liken the Pacific War to a typhoon, one that swept away their former lives and brought dramatic changes to their understanding of the world and their place in it. Whether they spent the war in bomb shelters, in sweet potato fields under the guns of Japanese soldiers, or in their homes on atolls sheltered from the war, Micronesians who survived those years know that their peoples passed through a major historical transformation. Yet Pacific War histories scarcely mention the Islanders across whose lands and seas the fighting waged.
Preface viiIsland Names ixIntroduction 1Part I BackgroundsChapter 1 "Micronesia" 9Chapter 2 Cultural Memories and the Pacific War 20Part II Micronesian Understandings of the Pacific WarChapter 3 The Meaning of War 39Chapter 4 The Shock of War 44Chapter 5 Hardship and Suffering 72Chapter 6 Combat Experiences 88Part III Micronesian Vantage PointsChapter 7 "It Was Not Our War" 103Chapter 8 The Typhoon of War 118Chapter 9 Questions of Loyalty 127Chapter 10 Micronesian Responses to Wartime Pressures 152Part IV Cultural Themes in Micronesian Wartime NarrativesChapter 11 Some Micronesian Preoccupations 169Chapter 12 Greetings and Farewells 186Part V ConclusionsChapter 13 Wartime Memories in the Modern World 219Chapter 14 "The Great Airplane" 228Appendix List of Participants in Oral History Interviews 241Notes 249References 257Index 267
