Abstract
This article provides an ethnographic case study of heritage processes in action that were observed and recorded during fieldwork in 2013 and 2014 on the Main Islands of Yap State—the westernmost state of the Federated States of Micronesia. A description will be provided of a historic traditional gathering known as a mitmit which from the day it was decided upon activated the transmission of cultural heritage knowledge and practices throughout Yap’s Main Islands. By examining the mitmit, the event’s significance for Yapese stakeholders, and how the U.S. National Park Service was indirectly involved, several findings emerge. It is found that the planning, organization and performance of the mitmit assisted in preserving elements of Yapese cultural heritage that local stakeholders identified as most valuable and in need of safeguarding. The case study also supports the continuing utility of Chambers’ (2006) public and private heritage constructs, especially when evaluating heritage practices within indigenous contexts where the preservation of intangible cultural heritage is often a more critical concern. The analysis suggests that more attention should be devoted to identifying how public heritage interventions can activate private heritage practices, thereby mitigating the hegemonic effects of Smith’s (2004) authorized heritage discourse (AHD).
Highlights
Island societies throughout the Pacific struggle with preserving what they can of their rich cultural heritage that has rapidly been altered, forgotten or destroyed since the early days of colonial expansion
For the Pacific Islanders of what is the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), factors leading to cultural loss varied depending on the level of contact with outsiders but generally included severe depopulation due to introduced diseases, impacts from successive transfers of colonial power, the introduction of a cash economy, missionary activities, and the wide-ranging destructive impacts of World War II
Ways that support the extant values and practices found in a community’s private heritage. In cases such as the FSM where indigenous cultures are struggling mightily to maintain the valuable knowledge, traditions and customs handed down to them by their ancestors, heritage practitioners should do more to recognize the possible shortcomings of dominant heritage discourses that fail to address the true interests of stakeholder communities
Summary
Background Island societies throughout the Pacific struggle with preserving what they can of their rich cultural heritage that has rapidly been altered, forgotten or destroyed since the early days of colonial expansion. For the Pacific Islanders of what is the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), factors leading to cultural loss varied depending on the level of contact with outsiders but generally included severe depopulation due to introduced diseases, impacts from successive transfers of colonial power, the introduction of a cash economy, missionary activities, and the wide-ranging destructive impacts of World War II. It is important to note that as with many island societies (Techera 2011), the more concerning impacts for Micronesians involve the loss of intangible elements of their cultural heritage given the limited tangible, durable and lasting structures that are typically found in built environments elsewhere. For Pacific Islanders living in areas once part of the post WWII, U.S
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