Hundreds of years before contact with the world beyond the Pacific Ocean, the peoples of western Pacific Island groups constructed artificial islands, many still occupied. This is testimony to the ingenuity and skill of early Pacific peoples but also concerning as the knowledge of island building remains known in only a few contexts, fewer than was the case half a century ago. In collaboration with national museums, this project targets artificial islands that exist today in parts of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM – six sites) and Fiji (six sites), engaging with local residents and knowledgeholders in culturally appropriate ways to understand/document and visualise how artificial islands were created: specifically where raw materials came from, how they were transported/arranged, how islands were then stabilised ready for occupation, and how they are (or were formerly) maintained. In addition to traditional knowledge about island building at all sites, there is evidence that artificial islands are being (or were within living memory) actively maintained at Rumung and Takaieu (FSM) and Naniubasaga and Serua (Fiji). Sea-level rise (at current rates of 4-12 mm/year in the western Pacific) threatens the stability/existence of artificial islands. Their endangerment – and the imperative of documenting/visualising how they were made – thus comes from both the loss of traditional knowledge AND the current/projected rapid sea-level rise. The importance of preserving knowledge of artificial-island building is also as a possible solution for coping with future sea-level rise along Pacific Island coasts.
Principal Investigator:
Patrick Nunn
Collaborators:
Tricia King and Roselyn Kumar
Location of Research:
Western Pacific Islands
Host Institution:
University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
Top Banner Image: The artificial island of Giloebay off the coast of Rumung Island, Yap State, FSM. Photo credit: Patrick Nunn.