Resurgence of culture and identities
In his book, Breaking the Shell : Voyagin from Nuclear Refugees to people of the Sea in the
Marshall Islands, Joseph H. Genz presents the renaissance of seafaring in the Marshall Islands.
This rebirth comes years after the catastrophic U.S. cold war weapon testing in the atolls, that
forced the relocation of populations affected by the fallout . His book focuses on the importance
of the renouance of culture in the Marshall Islands with the rebirth of sailing, and with it the
entire cultural process to attempting a ruprur jokur1. Breaking the Shell explores how the
Marshallese have retaken their culture from their oppressors by rebuilding themselves as people
of the seas, as they were once before, instead of being known as nuclear refugees. Genz argues
that the Marshallese people are able to retake control of their identity as seafarers with a new
cultural wave based on ancient secret knowledge. This newfound identity obtained through this
wave of culture has served as fuel for the Marshallese people to be heard on their contemporary
problems, such as climate change, on a global scale.
Identity
Genz utilises different concepts to mobilise his argument. Identity is one of the more important
concepts used in this text, but why is identity important? Genz explains in his book that by
reclaiming their maritime heritage, the Marshallese are combatting the dark history that has been
hovering over their heads (Genz, 2018, p.192).
1
A navigation trial and proverb in Marshallese roughly translated as “breaking the shell” (Genz, 2018, p.5)
To better understand what role identity plays as a major concept in Oceania, defining it is
mandatory. In his article An Anthropological Conceptualisation of Identity, Golubovié defines
identity as : “where one (a person or a group) belongs, and what is expressed as “self-image”
or/and “common-image”, what integrate them inside self or a group existence, and what
differentiate[s] them vis-à-vis ‘others’.” (2011, p.25). Identity is a key concept in this modern
wave of cultural activism. Affirmation of identity is at play in multiple small communities across
Oceania.
Identity in Oceania
In Guåhan, the Chamoru share a similar struggle with the militarisation of their native island by
the United States. As explained in Militarization and Resistance from Guåhan: Protecting and
Defending Pågat, with the expansion of the U.S. military bases on Guåhan, the DOD has
planned to build a firing range facing the Pågat Village. Pågat Village was considered at the time
as an archaeological site of cultural importance by the US National Park Service. A legal
campaign was launched and the DOD opted for new option and sanctioned a new environmental
study (Na'puti & Bevacqua, 2015 p.846-847).
Similar to how the resurgence of sailing in the Marshall islands has helped the community
rebuild their identity, this blatant violation by the U.S. motivated the Chamoru identity in the
population of the island. Na'puti & Bevacqua explain that : “ An affirmation of Chamoru
identity, grounded in the specificity of our experiences and sacred places, is crucial to imagining
a world beyond colonialism and to providing strength and guidance in our efforts to connect
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outward” (2015, p.838). Captain Korent has searched throughout Breaking the Shell to affirm his
identity as a ri-meto2 to be able to promote the image of the Marshallese seafarers. Like the
Marshallese, the Chamuro are also branding their indeginous identity to repel against the modern
continuation of eviction for militarization. The Chamuro are using, like the Marshallese, their
identity to combat the modern colonialism imposed on them through militarization.
Just like the Marshallese and the Chamoru, Hawai’i has a similar attitude with their rebuilt
identity. The indegineous Hawaiians have had a wave of cultural resurgence and pride since the
early Seventies. Genz talks briefly about this resurgence of indeginous identity in Hawaiians
with the travels of Hokule’a and explains it’s influence on the revival of culture in the Marshall
Islands : “The precarious nature of twenty-first-century cultural revitalization in the Marshall
Islands follows in the wake of previous attempts to restore the sailing canoes. An influx of
development that swept through the region in the post nuclear era hastened the decline of
voyaging, and it was only the efforts in the late 1980s of an American boat builder, inspired by
feats of Hokule’a, that helped bring canoes back” (Genz, 2018, p.105). This resurgence of culture
has also helped rebuild the identity of indegineous Hawaiians. Contrary to the Marshallese that
are rejecting their colonial identity of nuclear refugees, indigeneous Hawaiians are rebuilding
their identity by reclaiming their imposed colonial status and incorporating it as a part of their
identity.
“Whatever cultural practices, beliefs, and traditions a Hawaiian perceives as an important part of
his or her identity, all share the conviction that Hawai’i was deprived of its statehood and
2
A “person of the sea,” or navigator in the Marshall Islands (Genz, 2018, p.4)
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legitimate government in an illegal act of colonial usurpation by ‘white’ (haole) settlers and the
United States.” (Schachter & Funk, 2012, p. 403)
We can conclude that the resurgence of culture and the pride of identity is making waves in
Oceania. From Hawai’i to the Marshall Island, the pride in these newfound identities are playing
a very important role in the transmission of almost extinct tradition to the next generations.
Culture Waves
I have learned throughout these readings that identity plays an important role in culture. Like I
have explained above, identity serves as a rally point for the community and promotes in
Oceania the resistance against modern day colonialism. Throughout his book Genz doesn’t
directly discuss the importance of identity but paints a broader sense of how identity can affect
the consciousness of a culture. It can be seen with the journey of Captain Korent to obtain the
title of ri-meto and how important that identity was to him.
To conclude, cultural resurgence is in full effort around Oceania. From Hawai’i to the Marshall
Islands cultural awareness and identity are both very active and important concept. The
affirmation of identity varying from the rejection of the colonial term nuclear refugee, to the
acceptance and incorporation of colonialism in identity to claim power over their oppressors
demonstrates the important role of identity as an anti-colonialism factor. Identity represents our
core values and what we are and what we stand for; without it, mobilising communities is almost
impossible. In this resurgence of culture in Oceania, identity affirmation is the fuel that has
helped Oceania communities get heard on a global scale.
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Bibliography
Genz, Joseph H. (2018). Breaking the Shell: Voyaging from Nuclear Refugees to People of the
Sea in the Marshall Islands. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press
Golubovié, Z. (2011). An Anthropological Conceptualisation of Identity. Synthesis Philosophica,
1, p.25-43
Na'puti, T., Bevacqua, M. (2015). Militarization and Resistance from Guåhan: Protecting and
Defending Pågat. American Quarterly, 67(3), 837-858,987,990-991.
Schachter, J., Funk, A. (2012). Sovereignty, indigeneity, identities: perspectives from Hawai’i.
Social Identities, 18(4), 399-416
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