MICRONESIA CULTURE

THE MICRONESIA ISLANDS ARE 2000 AND LIE BETWEEN PHILLIPINES AND HAWAII. THEY FORMED FROM CORAL ATOLLS WITH VOLCANIC ACTIVITY. THEY HAVE CYCLONES AND DROUGHT. MANY YEARS AGO THEY MAINTAINED EXTENSIVE INTERISLAND EXCHANGE NETWORKS AS EACH ISLAND HAD POSSIBILITIES OF STORMS.

PEOPLE FIRST SETTLED HERE ABOUT 3500 YEARS AGO. FEW ARCHAELOGISTS HAVE CONDUCTED INVESTIGATIONS BECAUSE OF DENSELY SETTLLED POPULATIONS HERE AND MANY STORMS.THUS THEY HAVE USED LANGUAGE TO DATE THE HISTORY OF THIS CULTURE. MANY OF THEIR LANGUAGES ARE MUTUALLY UNINTELLIGIBLE. THUS THESE ISLAND FOLKS ARE NOT CLOSE TO EACH OTHER.

THE SOUTHERNMOST OF THE MARIANNA ISLANDS BECAME THE FIRST INHABITED ISLAND VISITED BY EUROPEANS IN 1521. SPAIN TOOK CONTROL IN 1670 AND THE NATIVES REBELLED. THUS 25 YEARS OF WARFARE FOLLOWED. THE WAR PLUS DISEASES REDUCED THE POPULATION FROM 100,000 TO 4,000. THE SURVIVORS WERE RELOCATED AND SOME WOMEN MARRIED MARRIED SPANISH TROOPS. MUCH OF THE CHAMORO CULTURE WAS DESTROYED. OTHER VALUES WANTED