8 - Islands and beaches: the atoll groups and outliers

Summary

Despite their enormous geographical distribution, spreading as they do 20 degrees in longitude, and starting from a little south of the Equator to nearly 12 degrees north, there are three factors that link the islands discussed in this chapter. The first is that they are all low atolls or limestone islands whose residents, as I write, are particularly concerned about rising sea levels that threaten to submerge their homes; and second, they have received the least archaeological attention in Micronesia. Third, if the Caroline Islands were considered part of a ‘Breadfruit Culture Complex’ (Ishikawa 1987), then perhaps these islands ought to be considered part of a ‘Pandanus Pattern’, given the traditional importance of the pandanus tree for many of the communities discussed here (Grimble 1933–34; Stone 1963).

The Marshall Islands

The Ralik (sunset) and Ratak (sunrise) chains of twenty-nine atolls and five raised limestone islands form the Marshall Islands (Fig. 7.1). Although producing some of the earliest dates for colonization in this part of Oceania (see chapter 4), they have until recently resisted attempts to gain a clear understanding of the sequences of settlement and land use of this widely dispersed and numerous group of islands. This is typical of atoll groups, as noted in chapter 6 in relation to the Carolinian atolls, in that they appear to be some of the last to be subjected to intensive archaeological investigation.