HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE 



25 



OTHER ISSUES 



Although the Enewetak case is unique, the people 

 share some historical trends with other Micronesians. Like 

 other islanders, the people of Enewetak have had to 

 become familiar with the representatives of the successive 

 colonial administrations. The Enewetakese had to learn the 

 customs of the new foreigners and had to develop ways to 

 cope with them. 



The initial years of American rule followed on the 

 footsteps of World War II, and it was a time when 

 memories were still fresh of the destructive powers that 

 the U. S. had unleashed during its crushing defeat of 

 Japan in the Pacific. Understandably, Micronesians were 

 cautious and even timid in their dealings with Americans. 



With the passing of time, Micronesians everywhere 

 grew bolder and became more skilled as they managed 

 their relations with Americans. Encouraged by this relation- 

 ship, Micronesians have modified their traditional institu- 

 tions and have adopted more democratic p>olitical 

 structures. In recent years, and very much like the people 

 of Enewetak, they have become more assertive as they 

 have negotiated for what they believe are their own best 

 interests. Inspired by the general wave of decolonization in 

 the Pacific, and as the end of the U. S. trusteeship draws 

 near, Micronesians have been struggling to take control of 

 their own lands and destinies. Self-government is coming to 

 the U. S. territory, and it seems unlikely that situations 



such as those which occurred at Enewetak or Bikini will 

 ever occur again. 



REFERENCES 



Bellwood, P., 1979, Man's Conquest of the Pacific, Oxford 



University Press, New York 

 Carucci, L., 1980, The Renewal of Life: A Ritual Encounter in the 



Marshall Islands, unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of 



Chicago 

 Kiste, R. C, 1974, The Bikinians A Studv in Forced Migration, 



Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Menio Park, 



California 

 — , 1976, The Peoples of Enewetak vs. the U. S Department 



of Defense, Ethics and Anthropology, M. A. Rynkiewich and 



J. P. Spradley (Eds.), John Wiley and Sons, New York. 

 — , 1977, The People of Enewetak: Past and Present, 



Micronesian Perspectiue. 1(2): 18-23. 

 Murdock, G. P., 1949, Scxial Structure, Macmillan Company, 



New York. 

 Office of the Judge Advocate Pacific Air Forces, 1973, Transcript 



of Testimoniyi Enuironmental Hearings "Project PACE," Hono- 

 lulu, p. 79. 

 Tobin, J. A., 1968, The Resettlement of the Enewetak People, 



unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. University of California, 



Berkeley, pp 18, 22, 57. 

 Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Enewetak Atoll Master 



Plan, 1975, 3 volumes. Holmes and Narver, Inc., Anaheim, 



California 



