The Marshall Islands

One of the major problems with WWW resources is the relative impermanence of many sites on the World Wide Web, requiring ongoing maintenance of the various links. For ease of reference, all resources identified with red bullet points are held and maintained at this site. Links to other WWW sites are identified by a pointing hand.

Culture and Society

Traditional Society - Traditional Subsistence - Traditional Material Culture - Heritage Management -
Modern Settlements

Traditional Society

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

Traditional Subsistence

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.

Traditional Material Culture

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

Heritage Management

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]
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)

Modern Settlements

Mejatto Island, Kwajalein Atoll--A Photo Essay: by Dirk HR Spennemann; Includes photos of houses and guest huts, photographed in 1993
The Islands of Mile Atoll--A Photo Essay: by Dirk HR Spennemann; Includes photos of houses and guest huts, as well as canoes, and a spirit bottle.