Wednesday, December 28, 2016

History of Rule in the Mariana Islands

For over roughly 3000 years, the Chamorro people have lived in what is now called the Mariana Islands (Islas Mariånas in Modern Chamorro).  Initially, the Spaniards called the islands Islas de los Ladrones (Islands of the Thieves in Spanish) due to the natives helping themselves to whatever they could.
The Chamorro people have been under foreign rule since 1565.  Since then, rule of the Mariana Islands has changed hands several times.  First to "claim" the Marianas were the Spaniards during what is known as the Age of Exploration followed briefly by the Germans, who then gave it to the Imperial Japanese.  The Japanese were then forced to relinquish us to the United Nations, who left the United States in charge of the islands, later incorporating them into a politically divided region - the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas in Modern Chamorro) and the Territory of Guam (Guåhan as the Guamanians call it).
While the Spaniards landed on the Mariana Islands in 1521, the islands weren't officially incorporated into the Spanish East Indies until 1565.  The Mariana Islands - particularly the island of Guam - was used as a stopover between Manila and Mexico.  Shortly after establishing Guam as the de facto capital of the islands, the Spaniards forcibly moved the Chamorros from the other islands to repopulate the island of Guam.
In 1668, the Spaniards brought over Father Diego Luis de San Vitores to convert the Chamorro people into the Catholic faith.  In 1671, a chief, known as Hurao, from Guam led a failed uprising against the colonial Spanish.  The following year, another chief, named Matåpang, assassinated Father San Vitores.  Afterwards, all was relatively quiet on the islands until the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898 when the United States acquired Guam while Germany bought what is now known as the Northern Mariana Islands under the German-Spanish Treaty of 1899.  Though politically split, the islands would still hold close ties.
After Germany acquired the islands, they incorporated them into what was known as German New Guinea.  While Germany acquired the Northern Mariana Islands, they had very little influence over the islands, save for the islands' anthem melody being directly taken from Wilhelm Ganzhorn's "Im Schoensten Wiesengrunde".  Also, the Germans did little (if any) development projects.  After the end of World War I, the League of Nations granted all of Germany's Pacific territories north of the equator to Japan.  Japan then included the Pacific territories - including the Northern Mariana Islands - into what the Japanese called the South Pacific Mandate.
Japan had almost as lasting an influence over the islands as Spain, heavily developing the islands and making sugar cane the islands' main industry.  After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese invaded Guam in 1941; it was called the Battle of Guam.  The Imperial Japanese then forced the Chamorros from the northern islands to Guam in order to assist in Japan's occupation.  This, coupled with the harsh treatment of the Guamanian Chamorros, caused a deep rift between the two territories.
In 1944, the US military liberated the Mariana Islands in a series of naval battles during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.  The aerial battle that took place there was called the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.  After a series of battles on the islands, the Marianas were finally liberated from the Imperial Japanese.  The islands of Saipan and Tinian would then house two of America's nukes that would be critical in ending the Pacific Theatre of World War II.  The island of Rota would virtually be untouched due to the military insignificance of the island.
After the war, the Mariana Islands were administered by the United States pursuant to Security Council Resolution 21 as part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), causing the United States to be responsible for TTPI's defense and foreign affairs.  The TTPI comprised of the following island territories:

  • Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) - became a commonwealth in 1 January 1978, fully effective in 4 November, 1986.
  • Republic of Palau - gained independence in 1981, entered into a Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the US in 1 October, 1994.
  • Republic of the Marshall Islands - gained independence in 1979, entered into a Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the US in 21 October, 1986.
  • Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) - gained independence in 1979, entered into a Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the US in 3 November, 1986.
The CNMI and Guam both held a referendum regarding reunification in 6 October, 1963.  While the CNMI voted in favor of reunification, Guam refused due to the incident in World War II.  To this day, the CNMI and Guam have been divided in numerous ways - politically, linguistically, and culturally.
Linguistically, the CNMI is more vocal in their disagreements with Guam stating that Guamanians don't speak "true Chamorro".  Regardless of how the CNMI feels or thinks, the Guamanians have made serious efforts in revitalizing the Chamorro language on their island - such as creating apps, websites, podcasts, etc.
Culturally, Guam has been shifting towards Polynesian dances while the CNMI remains strongly Micronesian thanks in large part to the Carolinians.
Politically, the territories are divided differently. Guam has numerous districts within island.  The CNMI, however, only has 7 or 8 electoral districts.  Saipan has 5 districts, Tinian has 1 district, Rota has 1 district, and the Northern Islands have 1 district.
Today, some Chamorros on Guam have taken up a petition for independence, even creating a podcast called "Fanachu! Independent Guåhan" dedicated to becoming an independent nation.  The CNMI, however, suffers from numerous scandals by a casino company called Best Sunshine as well as recent scandals from its governors and lieutenant governors - most recent of which involves sitting Lieutenant Governor Victor Hocog in what is being called the MV Luta scandal.