Study of change

in Micronesia

Micronesia: Winds of Change.

Edited by Francis S. Hezel, SJ, and Mark L Berg. Published by Trust Territories Publi cations Office, Saipan. SUS2O.

No ISBN provided.

Pacific historian Gregory Den ing in a recent review in the New Zealand Journal of His tory (Vol 1, No 12, 1978, p 82), comments that ‘the Pacific is an historically underdeveloped area’. Those close to the study of the subject would have to agree. There exist a number of problems with Pacific histori ography and the foremost is that most of it is and has been written by outsiders. This is beginning to change.

Specifically, it can be said that there are two types of Pacific histories; those written by outsiders about their experi ences and activities in the islands, and those histories of the islands written by islanders themselves, or by people living in the islands who take a view of the outside world from the islands. The present work is not an example of this second type, but is perhaps the last precur sor.

The first type is, of course, important, and the research and writing on it continues. With each deliberate and serious effort, it gets better. Courses in Pacific history wherever they are taught need such ma terial in increasingly well pres ented forms. And that is, hap pily, what the present volume is.

The generalisation made by Dr Dening applies to Micronesia, but Winds of Change contributes consider ably to its vitiation. Over the course of the US administration and its efforts in education in Micronesia some very good curriculum materials have been produced and used. The most notable on history have been Micronesian Backgrounds by Alice Shorett in 1970, and Micronesia’s Yesterdays by James M. Vincent and Carlos Viti in 1973. Each of these, like the present work, presents pri mary source material together

with photos and sketches. Bezel and Berg however, go much further, are thematic, and more comprehensive. The develop ment perspective which can be observed with this Micronesian historiography is clear and very encouraging.

Messrs Bezel and Berg have prepared a book which goes beyond the classroom for more general use by people wanting to know something of the his tory of Micronesia. I say ‘pre pared’ because I think it is the most appropriate term to use in their case: they have gone beyond just editing. At the beginning of each chapter 17 in all they’ve written original essays which serve to introduce and synthesise, or as they state in their preface, ‘provide the background information necess ary for the understanding of the readings’.

The readings are excellent, well selected, and presented with photos and sketches to highlight and give meaning to the text. The readings some of which have not appeared before separate from their pri mary source have been gathered and brought together from a wide variety of sources in far-flung places. They can be characterised, as the editors say, as letting ‘those who were participants in or, at least, eye witnesses to the events, tell their own story’. A real service was performed by, in some cases, combining several primary sources into one, more coherent, reading.

Donald Buchholz did the excellent lay-out work and sketches which have given life to the textual material. Includ ing several hundred sources, photo credits, and illustrations with maps, there are 538 pages in all.

The editors themselves bear some particular attention.

They’ve not only prepared this work, but they are part of it.

They are at once historians, teachers, and Micronesian edu cators, although they are not native Micronesians. Since they have given themselves to the

study of the Micronesian ex perience for a combined total of some 25 years, they are really up to the measure of their task.

Hezel has been in Micronesia since his seminary days in 1963 almost constantly. He has taught many Micronesians dur ing that time, and has contrib uted regularly articles, reviews, and essays to the growing body of literature and account/ commentary on the islands. At present, as director of the Micronesian Seminar at Truk, he has, more than any other person, attempted and suc ceeded in bringing current and vital social issues to the fore front of island political thought.

He is sought out and queried by foreigners and locals alike on the widest range of Micronesian affairs. He is the single most important and knowledgeable foreign intellectual in Micronesia today.

Mark L. Berg is a younger, but most impressive, com panion to Hezel. He has lived and worked in Micronesia for seven years. He was educated in England and at Yale University where he took his degree in literature, and then came to the islands as a Peace Corps Volun teer to teach. He has written many articles and reviews on Micronesia, and has edited the three-volume History of Palau

published by the Community

Action Agency in Koror.

It should be clear that Winds )f Change represents the first ype of Pacific history men ioned earlier: that written ibout the islands by foreigners, fhe editors make no bones bout this. They say: ‘The eadings are largely first-hand ccounts written by foreigners lescribing what they saw or did n the islands.’ There is yet that ther type written for, by, nd of the islanders which till has to appear in a succinct ut comprehensive form.

The work being done at Ron Yocombe’s Pacific Studies In titule at the University of the outh Pacific has promoted this -cond type of Pacific history t)r years, and perhaps we can >ok to Fiji sometime soon for n announcement of the appear nce of a large and deliberate icond-type counterpart akin to lezel’s and Berg’s effort.

Hrk Anthony Ballendorf.