Scenes from Everyday Life in the Northern Mariana Islands during the COVID‐19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), located in the Western Pacific, has managed to keep COVID-19 cases down to a minimum despite the neighbouring island of Guåhan's (Guam) struggle to contain the virus. The CNMI is home to the native Chamorro and Refaluwasch peoples, as well as a diverse array of other cultural groups including many from throughout the Micronesian region, the Philippines, Korea, China, Japan, Bangladesh, Thailand and more. While the islands are relatively unknown to most Americans in the continental United States, the archipelago is critical for United States Military training and testing, which has increased the islands' vulnerability to COVID-19 exposure as military personnel continue to train and test throughout the area. As a United States Commonwealth, COVID-19 relief funds have been distributed throughout the community as people struggle to regain a sense of normalcy in their everyday lives. In the last 5 years, the CNMI community has endured great hardship as a number of record breaking natural disasters have devastated the islands, including Super Typhoon Soudelor (2015) and the Category 5 Super Typhoon Yutu (2018), followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The photographs presented here were taken by the author in June 2020; they depict scenes from the island of Saipan as COVID-19 precautions have become part of the fabric of everyday life. While face-to-face interactions and large family gatherings are treasured in this island community, individuals continue to search for ways to encourage one another through art and community care—all of which showcase the island spirit of cooperation and respect in the midst of crisis. Increasingly, community members have begun to express their solidarity through the show of community testing initiatives, cultural pride and togetherness such as wearing masks with the CNMI flag prominently displayed and creating culturally significant art for the community to enjoy alongside the island's main roads. Theresa (Isa) Arriola is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Isa's research focuses on the intersections of militarism, indigeneity, and the environment among indigenous Chamorro and Refaluwasch peoples in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), where she was born and raised. Isa is currently completing her PhD as an American Association of University Women (AAUW) Dissertation Fellowship awardee.