By: Gursimran Padda
An example of a traditional South Pacific fishing scene in the Mariana Islands
Climate change is ravaging the world, however a region that is uniquely affected by the issue are the small islands and atolls of the South Pacific. Preemptively, we would like to begin with a traditional story from Guam, one of the many island nations of the South Pacific. Art, poetry, stories and similar forms of media are all ways that you can understand the perspective of other sides within a conflict, and they act as ways to educate others and spread awareness. This story in particular is about how Guam got its shape.
It is said that in the past the ancestors of the modern CHamoru, the indigenous people of Guam, were giants that had magical powers. One day, a fisherman in Pago Bay on the east coast of the island felt the bay was noticeably larger than usual. A fisherman on the west coast of the island in Hagåtña Bay had later noticed the exact same thing. Soon after these initial events a fisherman in Pago Bay saw a monstrous fish taking bites out of the island. The men of the island had met together, planning that they would embark into the sea and hunt for the fish in both the bays. Despite their best efforts, the men were unsuccessful in catching the fish.
The young women of the island meanwhile discussed this while doing their daily tasks at the Hagåtña Springs. At the springs they would wash their hair with lemon scented water, from lemons they freshly squeezed themselves, leaving the peels in the spring. One day one of the young women spotted the fish taking bites out of Pago Bay again, but this time she saw lemon peels near the fish, she realized that the fish was based in the springs that they wash their hair. From here, the young women of the island devised a plan to catch the fish by cutting their hair and weaving it into a net. They began to sing, and with their powers the net began to expand larger. The singing, accompanied by the lemon scent of their hair in the net attracted the fish, the women had successfully caught the fish and saved the island!
The story highlights the deep connection between the CHamoru and the island that they inhabit, the same can be said about the peoples of the South Pacific more generally. The islands are integral to their spirituality, culture, and way of life. This folktale is now sadly becoming reality, as the islands of the South Pacific are now threatened, though instead of it being by a mythical fish, it is by climate change. Through analyzing the sociocultural and socioeconomic issues that climate change as a threat multiplier brings, two primary conflicts arise that must be faced in order to fight against climate change in the South Pacific: Bridging the gap between climate scientists and traditional knowledge, and tackling the imminent idea of climate change refugees.