BUCH
“There is no place like home”
Migration and Cultural Identity of the Sonsorolese, Micronesia
Heidelberg Studies in Pacific Anthropology, Bd. 5
2016
Zusätzliche Informationen
Bibliografische Daten
Abstract
The remote island of Sonsorol with its unique culture and Language belongs to the Micronesian archipelago Palau in the Western Pacific. Based on intensive multi-sited fieldwork, this comprehensive ethnography analyzes the social transformation of a small island community caused by migration of a large number of its members. Long journeys with their outrigger canoes have always been cultural practice of the Sonsorolese people. Today, caused by global processes, their world has broadened and they move to destinations such as Guam, Saipan or the USA – faraway places that sometimes become a permanent home. In these even smaller dispersed communities in mostly urban centers, notions of home, belonging and nation take on new significance. Following their routes and footsteps, the author explores how mobility and change affect their cultural identity. In their own words, the Sonsorolese express their motifs, hopes and experiences and are shown as active decision makers in a changing world.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
| Zwischenüberschrift | Seite | Aktion | Preis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover | C | ||
| Titel | iii | ||
| Impressum | iv | ||
| Contents | v | ||
| List of Illustrations | ix | ||
| Map | 10 | ||
| 2.1: Location of Sonsorol Island | 10 | ||
| Plates | 12 | ||
| 2.1: Hunting on Fanna (Sonsorol in the background | 12 | ||
| 2.2: Sonsorolese flag | 13 | ||
| 2.3: Arrival on Sonsorol | 14 | ||
| 2.4: Children on Sonsorol | 16 | ||
| 2.5: Wedding of Laura Ierago Miles and Joel Miles | 39 | ||
| 3.1: Wanita (left) and Satu (right) with a baby in a swing in Echang | 49 | ||
| 3.2: Sonsorolese women dancing at a village party in Echang | 50 | ||
| 3.3: Catholic service in the Santa Maria Pillar church on Sonsorol | 51 | ||
| 6.1: Traditional therapy for Mark’s broken arm | 125 | ||
| 6.2: Raichy (left) cutting fish on Sonsorol | 129 | ||
| 7.1: Dolores Sablan, the pioneer settler in Portland | 157 | ||
| 8.1: The Sonsorolese men dancing in Malakal | 221 | ||
| 8.2: Learning from the master carver how to carve a canoe | 227 | ||
| 8.3: Students with their teacher and their Sonsorol story book | 232 | ||
| 8.4: First born ceremony in Echang (photo Victoria Nestor | 234 | ||
| 9.1: Young Southwest Islanders in Echang | 263 | ||
| Acknowledgements | xi | ||
| 1 Introduction | 1 | ||
| 2 “Do You Know Paradise Island?” Sonsorol and Its Integration in the Palauan Archipelago | 9 | ||
| Dongosaro: Sonsorol | 9 | ||
| Belu’uera Belau: The Republic of Palau | 24 | ||
| History and Colonial Heritage of Palau | 27 | ||
| Methodological Reflection | 38 | ||
| 3 “A Home away from Home.” Migration Destinations of the Sonsorolese | 47 | ||
| Echang | 47 | ||
| Saipan | 53 | ||
| Guam | 55 | ||
| Portland and Salem, Oregon | 59 | ||
| 4 Who am I? Fundamental Notions of Identity from an Anthropological Perspective | 67 | ||
| Cultural Identity | 67 | ||
| Collective Identity | 75 | ||
| Ethnic Identity | 79 | ||
| 5 An Assessment of Anthropological Key Terms in Migration Studies | 83 | ||
| Transnationalism and Migration | 83 | ||
| Diaspora | 91 | ||
| Nation, Home and Belonging | 95 | ||
| 6 Traditional Sonsorolese Identity Markers | 101 | ||
| Community and Respect | 105 | ||
| Religious Faith and Gods | 116 | ||
| Mourning and Death | 118 | ||
| Chants | 120 | ||
| Healing Techniques | 122 | ||
| Food | 126 | ||
| Land Tenure | 129 | ||
| Tattoos and Hair | 132 | ||
| Navigation | 135 | ||
| Language | 137 | ||
| 7 Daily Life of the Sonsorolese in a New Home | 141 | ||
| Causes for Sonsorolese Migration | 144 | ||
| The Solid Network of the Family: Chain Migration | 154 | ||
| Remittances and Staying in Touch | 158 | ||
| Home is not a Country, but a Feeling: Nostalgia and the Return Myth | 166 | ||
| Faith as a Unifying Force: The Catholic Church | 180 | ||
| Sports as an Identity-Forming Power | 183 | ||
| The Taste of Home: Sonsorolese Cooking | 184 | ||
| 8 Challenges for the Sonsorolese Identity | 187 | ||
| Identity and Ethnicity | 187 | ||
| “The Small Heart“: Sonsorolese Children and the Educational System | 197 | ||
| “Echang Language”: Loss of the Sonsorolese Language | 204 | ||
| “The Money Comes from the Devil!”: Cultural Loss and Social Change | 211 | ||
| Struggling against Oblivion: Revitalization of the Sonsorolese Traditions | 218 | ||
| Transformations | 233 | ||
| 9 “No More Typhoon, Go Home!” Self- and External Perception of Sonsorolese Identity | 239 | ||
| “They are Palauan Citizens, but they are not Palauans!” Discrimination and Self-Perception | 239 | ||
| “Don’t Go out with Tobian People or Guys, cause those People are not Good | 262 | ||
| Perception of the Sonsorolese by Members of the Residence Societies from outside Palau | 265 | ||
| Being In-between: Sonsorolese Children and Teenagers | 269 | ||
| Self-Identification of the Sonsorolese | 278 | ||
| 10 Conclusion | 287 | ||
| 11 Contributors | 295 | ||
| References | 299 | ||
| Index | 325 | ||
| Back Cover | Back C |
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