Community consensus-building and preservation effort on WWII-related caves in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper summarizes a project that involved a community consensus-building and preservation effort focused on the protection of WWII-related caves on private property in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The project was designed to assess local interest in protecting sites on private property, increase awareness and advocacy for their protection, and create a preservation plan for protection of these sites by both the community and regulatory agencies. As such, it took a community archaeology approach to working with descendant communities on conflict heritage sites.