Suggested Reading

Overviews

Ashby, Gene. Pohnpei, an island argosy. Rainy Day Press, Rev. ed 1987.

This comprehensive guidebook, written by a longtime resident of Pohnpei, is a good source of reasonably current information about the island. 317 pp. pbk., ISBN 0931742145, LCCN 88-137151.

Rainy Day Press
1147 East 26th Ave.
Eugene, OR 97403

Levy, Neil. Micronesia handbook, 5th edition. Avalon Travel Publishing, 1999.

The Micronesia Handbook, part of the Moon Handbooks series, is a good travel guide for the entire region, including Pohnpei. 340 pp. pbk., ISBN 1566911621.

Avalon Travel Publishing
5855 Beaudry St.
Emeryville, CA 94608

History

Hanlon, David L. Upon a stone altar: a history of the island of Pohnpei to 1890. University of Hawaii Press, 1988.

This excellent, thoroughly-researched history of the island from earliest myths and legends up to the early Western contact period makes fascinating reading. Highly recommended. 320 pp., ISBN 0824811240, LCCN 87-034288.

Culture

Ashby, Gene (compiler/editor). Some things of value: Micronesian customs and beliefs. Rainy Day Press, 1983.

An enjoyable and informative collection of traditions written by the students of the Community College of Micronesia (Kolonia, Pohnpei). ISBN 0931742129, LCCN 82-060520. See address for Rainy Day Press above.

Ashby, Gene (compiler/editor) and Thomas Joel (illustrator). Never and always: Micronesian legends, fables, and folklore. Rainy Day Press, 1989.

Another collection by the students of COM. ISBN 0931742110, LCCN 89-51110. See address for Rainy Day Press above.

Ward, Martha Coonfield. Nest in the wind: adventures in anthropology on a tropical island. Waveland Press, 1989.

Written from a somewhat romanticized/idealistic viewpoint, this personal account of one woman's stay on the island still makes for interesting reading. 161 pp., ISBN 0881334057, LCCN 89-149206.

Language

Rehg, Kenneth L. and Damian G. Sohl. Ponapean-English dictionary. PALI language texts -- Micronesia. University Press of Hawaii, 1979.

Although not intended as an aid to everyday, conversational Pohnpeian, this volume is essential for anyone seriously interested in the language. 254 pp., ISBN 0824805623, LCCN 79-019451.

Rehg, Kenneth L. and Damian G. Sohl. Ponapean reference grammar. PALI language texts -- Micronesia. University Press of Hawaii, 1981.

This companion volume to the Ponapean-English dictionary contains a detailed analysis of the elements of Pohnpeian speech. Required reading for anyone trying to learn the language. 393 pp., ISBN 0824807189, LCCN 80-013276.

Pwuhk Sarawi: Audaudki Kadehde Mering Oh Kadehde Kapw Ni Mahsen En Pohnpei (Holy Bible: The Old Testament and New Testament in the Pohnpeian Language). United Bible Societies, 1994.

The Pohnpeian Bible is excellent for language study and Pohnpeian/English comparisons. The closest English translation is Today's English Version (the "Good News Bible"). Availability may be a problem; I got my copy on Pohnpei.

Geography, Flora, and Fauna

U.S. Geological Survey. Topographic map of the island of Ponape, Federated States of Micronesia. USGS, 1983.

The topo map of Pohnpei comes in two halves, north and south. The scale of 1:25,000 gives about 600 meters = 1 inch. Essential for anyone on an extended visit, and makes great wallpaper too. LCCN 89-693838. $4.00 per half from USGS Map Distribution, P.O. Box 25286, Mail Stop 306, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225 (order "Island of Ponape, NO 025 / SO 025").

MacLean, Colin D. Vegetation survey of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Resource bulletin PSW-18, 1986.

This article and accompanying nine-part map classifies every area of the island by prevailing vegetation type. The maps look like fill-in-the-numbers coloring books, with each number keyed to an entry in the vegetation types listing. Interesting to correlate with the topo maps above. LCCN gpo17-756525.

Pratt, H. Douglas and Phillip L. Bruner, Delwyn G. Berrett. A Field Guide to the birds of Hawaii and the tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, 1987.

A good field guide with nice artwork. Any birder on an extended visit will want to look for a copy. This may be out of print. ISBN 0691084025 (original) and 0691023999 (paperback).

Other

Lewis, David. We, the navigators. University of Hawaii Press, 1972 (published simultaneously by the Australian National University Press).

David Lewis won a research grant from the Australian National University to study indigenous navigation practices in the Pacific before they died out. This book is the result of that work, and contains some amazing findings with considerable bearing on the question of how the Pacific islands were originally settled. Great reading, especially for anyone knowledgeable about sailing. ISBN 0824803949, LCCN 72-82139.

Sacks, Oliver. Island of the colorblind. Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.

Oliver Sacks is a neurologist with an interest in isolated places and populations. Island of the Colorblind is his account of visits to Pohnpei state, where rare populations of totally colorblind people live on some of the outer islands and on Pohnpei itself, and Guam, where the cause of an unusual neurodegenerative disease still remains a mystery. Interspersed with this are well-written accounts of island people and cultures -- very enjoyable reading. 298 pp., ISBN 0679451145.

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Last updated 7 September 97 by Mark Haun