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A Fluid Sea in the Mariana Islands: Community Archaeology and Mapping the Seascape of Saipan

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Abstract

This paper applies both a community archaeology and seascape approach to the investigation of the sea and its importance to the Indigenous community on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands in western Oceania. It examines data collected during a community project including archaeological sites, oral histories, lived experiences and contemporary understandings of both tangible and intangible maritime heritage to explore Indigenous connections with the sea and better define the seascape. What the seascape of Saipan conveys in the larger sense is the true fluidity of the sea. In this instance fluidity has more than one connotation; it refers to the sea as both a substance and an idea that permeates and flows into all aspects of Indigenous life. Chamorro and Carolinian people of Saipan identify themselves as having an ancestral connection with the sea that they continue to maintain to this day as they engage in daily activities within their seascape.

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Notes

  1. This paper adopts Hau’ofa’s use of the word Oceania to describe the area known as the Pacific Ocean.

  2. Duncan’s (2006) thesis mentions seascapes but focusses more on maritime cultural landscapes. Ford’s (2011) edited book on the application of landscapes in maritime archaeology contains no articles on the subject of seascapes.

  3. For a history of Chamorro in the Marianas see Russell (1998). Carolinian groups settled in the Marianas during the Spanish period (Russell 2009), however recent studies suggest there was a much longer connection and earlier settling (Scott Russell, pers. comm. with Jennifer McKinnon April 2013).

  4. Susu in Chamorro means “breast.”

  5. “Ancient” is the term used by the community to describe the time of their ancestor and therefore is adopted for this paper.

  6. Galaidi is presently accepted as a general reference to “canoe,” although during the Pre-contact through the Latte Period, it is documented to have been one type of canoe; the ancient Chamorro had different canoes for specific purposes (i.e. long ocean voyages, for use within the reef and for pelagic fishing to name a few).

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the community of Saipan for their ongoing support for this project. We’d also like to thank the team members who assisted with recording the abovementioned sites including: Jason Raupp, Sarah Nahabedian, Ania Legra and Della Scott-Ireton. Thank you to Toni Carrell of Ships of Discovery for her continued support and our colleagues Jason Raupp, Lynn Harris and the anonymous reviewers for kindly reviewing this manuscript and providing input. Finally, Herman Tudela was included as an author on this paper initially, but his ability to contribute, review and comment on the content were restricted by professional and personal issues; thus, while he is not an author, we’d like to acknowledge his major contributions to the collection and synthesis of the data and information contained within this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Maritime Studies, East Carolina University, Admiral Eller House, Room 103, Greenville, NC, 27858-4353, USA

    Jennifer McKinnon

  2. Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia

    Jennifer McKinnon & Julie Mushynsky

  3. Ships of Exploration and Discovery Research, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, USA

    Jennifer McKinnon & Genevieve Cabrera

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  1. Jennifer McKinnon
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Correspondence to Jennifer McKinnon.

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McKinnon, J., Mushynsky, J. & Cabrera, G. A Fluid Sea in the Mariana Islands: Community Archaeology and Mapping the Seascape of Saipan. J Mari Arch 9, 59–79 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-014-9126-8

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