Symposium highlights life in pre-war NMI, Palau

Pre-World War II life in the Northern Marianas and Palau were the highlights of a recent symposium held in Okinawa, featuring some of the former residents of these Pacific jurisdictions.

Dr. Daniel Long, Professor of Linguistics at Tokyo Metropolitan University, spearheaded the symposium titled “Considering Nan’yo from the Standpoint of Prewar Life on Saipan, Tinian, Rota and Palau.”

The conference, held on Nov. 22 and 23, was conducted at the new Okinawa Prefectural Museum.

The first day of the conference consisted of a panel discussion by three former residents of the islands: Mr. Sakihama, a former resident of Saipan; Hiromoto Kikuchi, a former resident of Tinian; and Humiko Kingzio, current resident of Palau. All spoke on their experiences during the period of the pre-war Nan’yo-cho administration of Micronesia.

Following the presentations, the panelists answered questions from an audience of 100 people, which included both researchers and other former residents of Micronesia

On the second day of the conference Dr. Long presented his paper titled ”Language Contact between Chamorros, Carolinians, and Japanese on Saipan and Tinian in the Prewar Period”.

Also speaking were:

– Keiko Ono (Okinawa University) “Taiwan and Nan’yo Sugar Plantation Towns: Takao, Chalan Kanoa and Tinian”;

– Junko Konishi (Shizuoka University) “How March (Maas) Dances and Songs Went from Saipan to Ogasawara and Okinawa”;

– Masato Arai (Tokyo Metropolitan University) “The Japanese Language Retained by Man’amko (elderly) Speakers in the Mariana Islands”;

– Koju Chiwaki (Tokyo Metropolitan University) “Language Policy of Nan’yo as seen through the Language Life of Island Residents”;

– Hideko Tsushima (Juntendo University) “Why did Hachijo Islanders Go to Nan’yo?”;

– Toyomi Asano (Chukyo University) “The Repatriation from the Nan’yo Islands and the Postwar Re-emigration movement in Okinawa”; and

– Don Farrell: “Life in Camp Chulu (Tinian) during World War II”.

Abstracts will be available online at the Tokyo Metropolitan University Department of Japanese Linguistics Nan’yo Oral History Website from Jan. 15.

Funding for the conference was provided by a grant from the Heiwa-Nakajima Foundation.

Farrell said that it was Dr. Long who invited him to speak at the symposium.

“He was kind enough to invite me to the conference. My presentation was the last PowerPoint of the conference. There were several elderly men in the audience who vividly remembered being in the stockade. Thanks to Dr. Long, I had a translator with me, both during the conference and the dinners. Listening to their stories of life on the islands as teenagers before and during the war clarified so many points of history that are not adequately expressed the available published English language descriptions of the era,” said Farrell.

Dr. Long had also invited Tun Juan Blanco of Saipan who had reluctantly declined due to health reasons. Conference participants were all looking forward to the participation of Tun Juan Borja King of Tinian, who had graciously accepted the invitation to participate before his untimely passing shortly before the conference. The participants expressed their sorrow at the passing of Mr. King. His fluency in Japanese and understanding of life in the prewar Marianas would have contributed greatly to the conference.

Participants pointed out the necessity for a similar conference in a venue where more Marianas man’amko could participate.

“Dr. Long spoke at length about his dialogue with Tun Juan earlier this year, which led to the discussion of having a similar conference on Saipan next year,” Farrell said. “All the participants expressed their interest and several of the presenters offered to present papers, if it happened.” [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]