Culture


Archaeology
Traditional Society
Subsistence Patterns
Material Culture
Historic Preservation
 
Archaeology

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Traditional Society

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Tattooing in the Marshall Islands
by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Monographic treatment of the history, motifs and social context of tattooing in the Marshall Islands. Well illustrated.
Essays on the Marshallese Past
by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
A series of short essays on various aspects of Marshallese archaeology and history. These sketches had originally been written as articles for the Marshall Islands Journal. They appeared in bok form in 1993 and are here reproduced with various additions.
Changing Views, Cultural Survival -
Knowledge and Power in the Marshall Islands
by Donna K. Stone
(PDF file, Courtesy US National Park Service)
Population control measures in traditional Marshallese Culture:
a review of 19th century European observations
by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
The environmental conditions, coupled with the extremely limited land area make the Marshall Islands marginal settlement land. At a time when all food had to be produced on the islands or caught in the sea, the population of a given atoll could not be allowed to rise beyond the atoll's carrying capacity. Hence a number of population control measures had been developed. These are discussed in this paper.
The Sea - The Marshallese World
by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Vitalizing Culture in Youth
By Daniel A. Kelin, II
From the Micronesian Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences [PDF file]
 
Traditional Subsistence Patterns

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Marshallese Naming of Birds
compiled by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
As with many traditional cultures, the Marshallese view of the avifauna can besplit into two categories: those birds either edible or useful, and those birds with are neither.
Traditional utilization of Mangroves in the Marshall Islands
by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Mangroves are shoreline plants thriving in brackish seawater. Traditionally, the wood and the propagules were used for various purposes. Mangroves, mainly Brugiera sp. were planted by the Marshallese for coastal protection and the consolidation of newly created land.
Plants and their uses in the Marshalls -- Medicinal Plants
compiled by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Table of plants, their Marshallese names and their traditional uses as medicinal plants
Plants and their uses in the Marshalls -- Food Plants
compiled by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Table of plants, their Marshallese names and their traditional uses as food plants
 
Material Culture

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Observations on the Archaeological Differentiation Between Prehistoric and Historic
House Sites in the Marshall Islands - Coral Gravel Spreads
by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Traditional Marshallese Stickchart Navigation (Essays on the Marshallese Past)
by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Traditional and modern house construction on the Marshall Islands
by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Brief description of the traditional Marshallese architecture. Contains a list of terms used for houses and their parts.
Marshallese Handicraft
Photo essays by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Brief description and photographic documentation of various types of Marshallese handicraft, mainly from the 1990s. Detailed on seperate pages are: Baskets, Baskets with a lid, Baskets, Open Baskets, Breadfruit Peelers, Canoe Models, Coasters, Fans, Hats, Head ornaments, Jewelry, Mats, Obong, Purses, Stars, Stickcharts,
Marshallese Material Culture
Photo essays by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Brief description and photographic documentation of various kinds of Marshallese material culture, such as Baskets, Belts, Breadfruit Peelers, Canoes, Canoe Models, Coasters, Drums, Fans, Fish hooks, Food, Hats, Head ornaments, Jewelry, Mats, Necklaces, Obong, Purses, Spears, Stars, Stick charts.
Marshallese Fishtraps--A Photo Essay
by Dirk HR Spennemann
Modern Marshallese Huts
A Photo Essay by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Modern Marshallese Canoes
A Photo Essay by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Modern Marshallese Canoes. The Enewetak Walap of 1992
A Photo Essay by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Modern Canoe from Chuuk
A Photo Essay by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
 
Historic Preservation

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Cultural Heritage Legislation of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
compiled by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Ownership of Cultural Resources
a review by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Cultural heritage management of unexploded ammunition
Dirk H.R.Spennemann
The paper reviews the issues of unexploded ordnance removal at and near heritage sites and provides options for action, aimed at safe guarding life and property of visitors and heritage managers while at the same time not unduly impairing the heritage items.
Originally published in CRM Bulletin 21(8), 48-51, 1998.
[PDF document, courtesy US National Park Service]
Saving WWII Historic Sites. Metals Conservation Course in the Marshall Islands
David W. Look, . & Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Originally published in CRM Bulletin 16 (5), 22-24, 1993.
[PDF document, courtesy US National Park Service]
Preparing for the 50th anniversary of Guam Liberation.
Metals Conservation Course and Demonstration Project
David W. Look, . & Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Originally published in CRM Bulletin vol. 18 no 8, pp. 35-36.
[PDF document, courtesy US National Park Service]
Apocalypse now?-the fate of World War II sites on the Central Pacific
Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Originally published in CRM Bulletin 15(2), 15-16, 1992.
[PDF document, courtesy US National Park Service]
Conservation Assessment of the Joachim De Brum House, Likiep Atoll.
by Jon O'Neill and Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Report dealing with the history and preservation of the Joachim deBrum house on Likiep Atoll, one of the last major buildings of the German colonial period in Micronesia.
[PDF document]
The Joachim De Brum House, Likiep Atoll, Marshall Islands.
An outstanding example of Micronesian plantation architecture
By Jon G. O’Neill & Dirk H. R. Spennemann
From the Micronesian Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences [PDF file]
Activities of the Alele Museum in 2004
By Carmen C.H. Petrosian-Husa
From the Micronesian Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences [PDF file]
Historic Preservation in the Marshall Islands: 2003-2004 Research
By Frank R. Thomas
From the Micronesian Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences [PDF file]
German Colonial Heritage in Micronesia
by Jon O'Neill and Dirk H.R. Spennemann
Cultural Resource Management vol. 24 no 1, pp. 46-47, 2001
[PDF document, courtesy US National Park Service]
Conservation management and mitigation of the impact of tropical cyclones:
Examples from Tonga, the Marshall Islands and Australia
compiled by Dirk H.R. Spennemann
This paper addresses the issue of the impact of typhoons on coastal sites and the implications these present and future impacts are likely to have on policy and practice of cultural resource management. Three case studies (Tonga, Marshall Islands and North Queensland), have been drawn on to show the effects of storm surges on sites. The impact of the mitigation measures (if any) is described and placed into the context of changing global climate patterns. A number of management constraints deriving from issues of traditional ownership and conflicting values are discussed and potential solutions are advanced
Perceptions of Heritage Eco-tourism by Micronesian Decision Makers .
by Dirk H.R. Spennemann, David W. Look and Kristy Graham
If cultural and heritage eco-tourism is to succeed, co-ordination and planning is required. This begs the question: What are the attitudes of Micronesian Government officials toward ecotourism and towards cultural heritage sites? The symposium provided the opportunity to poll participant decision makers. This report summarises the findings of two polls administered before and after the Heritage Eco-Tourism Symposium, on Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) from 28 February to 3 March 2000.
[PDF document]
Heritage Eco-Tourism in Micronesia. Expectations of Government Officials
by Dirk H.R. Spennemann, David W. Look and Kristy Graham
Cultural Resource Management vol. 24 no 1, pp. 30-32, 2001
[PDF document, courtesy US National Park Service]
The Archeology of the Atomic Bomb: A Submerged Cultural Resources Assessment of the
Sunken Fleet of Operation Crossroads at Bikini and Kwajalein Atoll Lagoons
by James P. Delgado, Daniel J. Lenihan, Larry E. Murphy
(PDF file, Courtesy US National Park Service)
MICRONESIA: A Submerged Cultural Resources Assessment
by Toni Carrell, Editor
(PDF file, Courtesy US National Park Service)
Gifts from the waves.
A case of marine transport of obsidian to Nadikdik Atoll and the occurrence of other drift material in the Marshall Islands.
Johnstone Centre of Parks, Recreation and Heritage Report Vol. 23. Johnstone Centre of Parks, Recreation and Heritage, Charles Sturt University: Albury, NSW
by Dirk HR Spennemann
Digital Micronesia-An Electronic Library & Archive is provided free of charge as an advertising-free information service for the world community. It is being maintained by Dirk HR Spennemann, Associate Professor in Cultural Heritage Management, Institute of Land, Water and Society and School of Environmental & Information Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury, Australia. The server space and technical support are provided by Charles Sturt University as part of its commitment to regional engagement. Environmental SciencesInformation Sciences

© Dirk Spennemann 1999– 2005
Marshall Islands politics public health environment culture WWII history literature XXX Cultural Heritage Management Micronesian Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences CNMI German Colonial Sources Mariana Islands Historic Preservation Spennemann Dirk Spennemann Dirk HR Spennemann Murray Time Louis Becke Jane Downing Downing