DOCUMENT RESUME SO 002 053 ED 056 946 AUTHOR Henderson, John VI.; AndOthers TITLE Area Handbook foxOceania. INSTITUTION American Univ., Washington,D.C. Foreign Area Studies. REPORT NO DA-PAM-550-94 PUB DATE 9 Jul 70 NOTE 564p. AVAILABLE FROMSuperintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,D.C. 20402 (S4.00) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC Not Availablefrom EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Area Studies; Art;*Developing Nations; Economic Climate *Foreign Culture; Geography;Governmental Structure; History;Institutions; Religion; Social Characteristics; Social Structure;Values IDENTIFIERS American Samoa; EducationalSystems; Guam; *Oceania ABSTRACT This handbook is designed tobe useful to people who need a convenient compilationof basic facts about thesocial, economic, political and militaryinstitutions and practices of oceania countries. The titleOceania refers to the land areasof south-central Pacific. However, in thehandbook the scope is limited mainly to most of Melanesia, mostof Polynesia, and a few islands ordinarily grouped as part ofMicronesia. An effort has been made to deal with the political, social,economic, and military trends in these countries since World WarIT. There are no attempts tomake U.S. policy recommendationstoward these countries. Anextensive bibliography is provided to assistin more detailed information. (Author/AWW) ERRATA Page 304: Following should be inserted in thetext in blank space under PAPUA AND NEW GUINEA high levels, and the development of the economy as rapidly aspossi- ble. The goals are not always compatible. Policies areformulated and implemented through appropriate governmentaldepartments and agencies, through laws passed, and throughspecialized programs based on research. Page 554: The two biblioaaphy entries appearing on this page are a part of the bibliography "Other Sources Used"that are thown on Page 539. "PERMISSION TO REPRoDUCE THIS COPY- RIGHTED mATERIAL By micRoFIGHE ONLY HA$ BEEN GRANTED By TO ERIC AND ORGANIZATIONS OPERATING UNDER AGREEMENTS WITH THE U s_ OFFICE OF EDUCATIoN. FURTHER REPRODUCTION OUTSIDE THE ERIC SySTEM REQUIRES pER- MISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNER AREA HANDBOOK for OCEANIA Co-Authors John W. Henderson Helen A. Barth Judith M. Heimann Philip W. Moeller Francisco S. Soriano John 0. Weaver Research and writing were completed on July 9, 1970 Published 1971 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE DA PAM 550-94 OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO- DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG- INATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN- IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDU- CATION POSITION OR POLICY. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number:75-609070 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govermnent PrintmgOffice Washington, D.C. 20402Price $4.00 FOREWORD This volume is one of a series of handbooks prepared by Foreign Area Studies (FAS) of The American University, designed to be useful to military and other personnel who need a convenient compilation of basic facts about the social, economic, political, azid military institutions and practices of various countries. The empha- sis is on objective description of the nation's present society and the kinds of possible or probable changes that might be expected in the future. The handbook seeks to present as full and as balanced an integrated exposition as limitations on space and research time per- mit. It was compiled from information available in openly pub- lished material. An extensive bibliography is provided to permit recourse to other published sources for more detailed information. There has been no attempt to express any specific point of view or to make policy recommendations. The contents of the handbook represent the work of the authors and FAS and do not represent the official view of the United States government. An effort has been made to make the handbook as comprehensive as possible. It can be expected, however, that the material, inter- pretations, and conclusions axe subject to modification in the light of new information and developments. Such corrections, additions, and suggestions for factual, interpretive, or other change as readers may have will be welcomed for use in future revisions. Comments may be addressed to: The Director Foreign Area Studies The American University 5010 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20016 ill PREFACE Defined in widest terms Oceania is a groupof islands in the Pa- cific Ocean spread over about a thirdof the earth's surface, When this study was prepared, it wasoriginally to include only those portions of Oceania within the scopeof the South Pacific Commis- sion not administered by the UnitedStates. Subsequently it was decided to prepare studies, in broad terms, onGuam, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of thePacific Islands and include them as supplemental chapters within thisvolume. References in the main body of this handbook to the scopeof the study and to the Summary and Glossary are tothe scope originally planned, embodying only non-American areas. Guamand American Samoa are under United Statessovereignty, while the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands is administered atthe election of the United States government as a United Nations Trust. Apart from the American-administeredislands, the main study covers the remaining portionof Oceania that falls within the scope of the South Pacific Commission. Withthis portion are four inde- pendent states and a dozen other politicalentities, dependent in varying degrees on Australia, NewZealand, the United Kingdom, France and the United States. Theindependent states are Western Samoa, Nauru, Tonga and Fiji. Fiji gainedindependence on Octo- ber 10, 1970, after research and writing for thishandbook had been completed. The term Oceania sometimesrefers to the land areas of the south-central Pacific. At other times it isconsidered to include all islands between Asia and North and SouthAmerica. Usually, how- ever, the Ryukyu andAleutian islands, as well as the Japanese archipelago, are not thought of as beingincluded. Ordinarily, also, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan areregarded as a part of the Asian mainland. In this handbook Australia and NewZealand, the principal large sovereignties of the area, are excluded.The scope therefore is lim- ited mainly to most of Melanesia, mostof Polynesia, and a few islands ordinarily grouped as part of Micronsia,which is mainly the United States-administered Trust Territoryof the Pacific Islands. Characteristics in common between variousentities have been noted, and major illustrative exampleshave been described in some detail. The purpose has been to givethe reader a feeling for the general nature of the area rather thanto furnish a compendium of factual material supported bystatistics. It is intended that anyone who wishes to learn more in depth about the separate entities will be able to avail himself of the extensive bibliography that the hand- book provides. Within these limitations, an effort has been made to deal with the major political, social, economic, and military trends of the area. Those considered primarily reflect conditions since World War H, but some historical background is included tfacilitate interpreta- tion of the more recent trends. Wherever possible, official government publications have been used as the source of transliteration for the many languages and dialects of the area. Those terms that have become part of the English language, such as the many Polynesian words introduced 4rough Hawaii, are treated as English, whereas less familiar words and phrases are italicized to indicate their indigenous forms. For English words and place names, Webster's Third New International Dictionary (inabridged) has been used as the authority. SUMMARY 1. AREA AND GOVERNMENT: Consists generally of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Apart from United States-administered territories there are sixteen political entities. Three of theseWest- ern Samoa, Nauru, and Tongawere independent by mid-1970, and a fourth, Fiji, was due for independence in the fall of the same year. The others were associated in varying degrees of dependency with Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, and France. 2. POPULATION: In 1970 estimated at 4 million. 3. SIZE: Spread over about one-third of the earth's surface; broken into relatively small land areasin most cases a few square miles, with the Territory of Papua and the Trust Territory of New Guinea the largest excFptions. 4. TOPOGRAPHY: Divided generally between high- and low-island groups and between continental and oceanic islands. Included are volcanic islands and coral atolls, sometimes separated by vast ex- panses of water. sometimes closely grouped. 5. LANGUAGES: English, French, and pidgin (a corruption of English) are widely used. In most areas local variants of the Ma- layo-Polynesian language group are spoken, but as many as 700 distinctly different languages and dialects are estimated to be in use within Melanesia. 6. RELIGION: Christianity has gained general dominance with sup- port from colonial powers. Many forms of animism, frequently shaped by outside influences, continue to be practiced. Other reli- gions, brought from outside the area by Asian resident groups, in- clude Buddhism. Hinduism, Confucianism, and Islam. 7. EDUCATION: Varies in accordance with policies of administer- ing powers, but in most places schooling is mainly elementary_ Vari- ous systems first instigated by missionary groups and follow French and British models in most cases. Few secondary