The Indigenous Experience on Saipan During World War Ii
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“THE JAPANESE AND U.S. FOUGHT THE WAR, WE ENDED UP PAYING THE PRICE”: THE INDIGENOUS EXPERIENCE ON SAIPAN DURING WORLD WAR II By Stephanie Soder April, 2019 Director of Thesis: Dr. Jennifer F. McKinnon Major Department: History, Maritime Studies During World War II in the Pacific, the Battle for Saipan became one of the pivotal successes of the United States (U.S). military to turn the tide of war against the Japanese Empire. Unfortunately, this success came at a cost to the residents of the islands. While the Japanese civilian experience has been studied, the indigenous civilians, largely uninvolved in the battle itself, remain overlooked. This thesis will explore the untold stories of the Chamorro and Carolinian civilians particularly through their survival during the battle and their experiences in the U.S. military internment camps. It further explores changes in their livelihood regarding their strong maritime culture and connection with the sea. By collecting civilian oral histories and conducting a Phase I archaeological survey of the camps, this research will serve to fill the academic gap regarding the Battle for Saipan, one of the largest battles in the Pacific to include civilians. It will also contribute to the fields of maritime, community, indigenous, and conflict archaeology. “THE JAPANESE AND U.S. FOUGHT THE WAR, WE ENDED UP PAYING THE PRICE”: THE INDIGENOUS EXPERIENCE ON SAIPAN DURING WORLD WAR II A Thesis Presented To the Faculty of the Department of History East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Maritime Studies by Stephanie Soder May, 2019 © Stephanie Soder, 2019 “THE JAPANESE AND U.S. FOUGHT THE WAR, WE ENDED UP PAYING THE PRICE”: THE INDIGENOUS EXPERIENCE ON SAIPAN DURING WORLD WAR II by Stephanie Soder APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF THESIS: ____________________________________________________________ Jennifer F. McKinnon, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER: ______________________________________________ Wade G. Dudley, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER: ______________________________________________ M. Todd Bennett, PhD COMMITTEE MEMBER: ______________________________________________ Genevieve Cabrera, B.A. CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY: ______________________________________________________ Christopher Oakley, PhD DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: _______________________________________________ Paul J. Gemperline, PhD ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Jennifer McKinnon for her patience, reassurance, and for pushing me to achieve greater things for myself, and to my committee members, Dr. Wade G. Dudley, Dr. M. Todd Bennett, and Ms. Genevieve Cabrera, who offered encouragement and guidance. ECU faculty and staff who created a supportive and fun environment include Dr. Jason Raupp, Dr. Nathan Richards, Mr. Jason Nunn, Mr. Mark Keusenkothen, Ms. Ingrid Meyer, Ms. Jessica Kestler, and Ms. Karen Underwood. This study would never have been possible without the unwavering assistance from Fred Camacho. Fieldwork would have been far less productive without his tireless effort, positive attitude, and vast knowledge of both thesis-related information and life skills (thanks for teaching me Coconut 101). A special thank you to Maddie Roth, who not only put up with me in Saipan for most of the summer but managed to do so with a smile and can-do attitude. Your friendship is invaluable. Gratitude is also due to Mr. Jim Pruitt and Mr. Luke Simonds, who continued to help me even while surviving through a typhoon and its aftermath. Without the assistance of Scott Russell and the Northern Marianas Humanities Council, I would not have been able to do this research. And to the wonderful people of Saipan, who welcomed me into their homes and shared their stories with me: Si Yu’us Ma’ase & Kii oosumu. I would like to thank my boyfriend, Buddy Clements, for supporting me since before I entered graduate school. Thank you for pushing me to succeed and coming with me to North Carolina. To my mom, step-dad, and sister, thank you for your love, support, and listening to my stories with a (mostly) interested look on your faces. And finally, a special thank you to my dad, to whom I owe my love of history and miss every day. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.................................................................................................... xv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................1 1.1 Purpose of Research ......................................................................................................1 1.2 Justification ...................................................................................................................5 1.3 Historical Background ..................................................................................................7 1.4 Methodology ............................................................................................................... 10 1.5 Limitations .................................................................................................................. 12 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................. 14 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 14 2.2 History of Conflict and Battlefield Archaeology .......................................................... 15 2.3 Internment Archaeology as an Extension of Conflict Archaeology .............................. 17 2.4 Community Involvement in Conflict Archaeology ...................................................... 20 2.5 Indigenous Communities, Oral Histories, and Conflict Studies .................................... 25 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 29 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 29 3.2 Archival and Historical Research Methodology........................................................... 29 3.3 Data Collection ........................................................................................................... 32 3.4 Oral Testimony Collection Methodology .................................................................... 35 3.5 Survey Methodology ................................................................................................... 39 3.6 Presentations, E-book, and GIS StoryMap ................................................................... 43 3.7 Limitations .................................................................................................................. 45 CHAPTER FOUR: THE INDIGENOUS EXPERIENCE THROUGH ORAL HISTORY ......... 48 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 48 4.2 Pre-Colonial ................................................................................................................ 48 4.3 Spanish Contact and Colonialism ................................................................................ 51 4.4 Entering the 20th Century ........................................................................................... 55 4.5 World War II and the Battle for Saipan ....................................................................... 60 4.6 Internment: Camp Susupe and Chalan Kanoa .............................................................. 74 4.7 Post-Internment Life ................................................................................................... 90 4.8 Modern Day ................................................................................................................ 96 CHAPTER FIVE: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS.......................................................................... 97 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 97 5.1 Themes of Historical Analysis..................................................................................... 97 5.1.1 Continued Colonization and Indigenous Relationships .................................................... 97 5.1.2 Internment .................................................................................................................... 102 5.1.3 Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 105 5.2 Oral History Analysis ................................................................................................ 105 5.2.1 The Role of Story-Telling ............................................................................................. 105 5.2.2 Patterns in Memory ...................................................................................................... 107 5.2.3 Group vs. Single Interviews .......................................................................................... 108 5.2.4 Problems ...................................................................................................................... 109 5.2.5 Conclusions .................................................................................................................