“Countries are now seeing that underwater cultural heritage is as important as terrestrial heritage,” Jeffery said. “With traditional fish weir structures, shipwrecks, Yapese stone money, sunken cities, and sites impacted by sea-level rising, Micronesia’s underwater cultural identity is highly significant in that it provides historical knowledge and examples of cultural practices that no other place in the world can provide.”

The training is being funded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, more commonly known as UNESCO, in partnership with the FSM, following the FSM becoming the first country in the Pacific to ratify UNESCO’s Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage in April 2018. The convention seeks to protect, preserve, and interpret the cultural, historical, and archaeological remnants that are partly or wholly underwater.

“The FSM is trying to take some action to protect its underwater cultural heritage — especially the wrecks in Chuuk because they’re world-known, and one of the first steps is to get some people who can implement a program of recording, interpreting, and working collaboratively with many people on these sites,” Jeffery said.

The 12 field school participants will learn how to survey and create a database of different types of underwater cultural heritage sites as well as preservation techniques and how to grow community engagement in preservation efforts. The professional training will hopefully position the participating countries for more grant funding from UNESCO and other partners in the future, Jeffery said.

This is just the start of more field schools, as other islands have expressed interest, including Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Yap, which has 700 to 800 fish weirs that the Yapese government wants to revitalize for sustainable fishing in working with the traditional owners. The schools will be open to officials in Micronesia and UOG students interested in maritime archaeology in addition to those from across Oceania and Asia-Pacific.

“There is great potential for running more field schools in the future because there’s a need,” Jeffery said. “Hopefully this training will be the first of a few steps in protecting the region’s underwater cultural heritage and showcasing its significant maritime cultural identity.”

Jeffery completed his doctorate in Chuuk through James Cook University in Australia.

 

Students: Join a future Field School

Be part of the exciting and quickly growing field of maritime archaeology at UOG under the Anthropology Program. Maritime archaeology field schools are offered for UOG students at locations around Micronesia every other summer or every summer as there is interest. Participation in a field school counts toward course credit. Contact Assistant Professor Bill Jeffery at (671) 735-2809 or jefferyw@triton.uog.edu for more information.