I feel like it is important to give some history of Tinian and the other surrounding Islands, that way as I share pictures from around the area they have a little more context.
This 39 square mile Island has a great deal of history, much of the early history is foggy. I have no intention of misrepresenting any of the history of Tinian. I am not a historian, and the information I share on the blog I will do my best to fact check.
The first settlers of the Mariana Islands are called Chomorros. It appears that they migrated here from the Indonesia area about 3000 B.C.
Carolinians are also considered native to this region and migrated in the 1800's from the Caroline Islands.
The Marianas were first made know to the Western world by Magellan, who discovered the islands in March of 1521. The Spanish had no particular attraction to the Marianas because they lacked quick material wealth and gold. So for nearly a century they were left fairly independent.
In 1668, when the Jesuit missionaries arrived at the islands, they were named the Marianas, in honor of Queen Maria Anna, widow of Phillip of Spain.
The initial response to the missionaries was positive, but eventually the inhabitants revolted against the priests and Spanish troops. Because of this revolt the natives were moved to Saipan and Guam (1694). All inhabitants were moved to Guam by 1698.
During the 200 years of Spanish rule; war, famine, and disease reduced the Chamorro population from an estimated 40,000 to 73,000 to only 3,169 in 1784. By 1790, the population was 1,639, and then by 1825 was reported to be as low as 600.
More about the Spanish rule in my next post.
*information gathered from Wikipedia and
Problems of Resettlement on Saipan, Tinian and Rota Mariana Islands
By Neal M. Beal
If every person of the world who traveled abroad learned about the history of that country, I think we would all be a little more kind to our neighbors. I loved learning about the history of Okinawa while I was there. Thank you for publishing your thoughts here on your blog. xo
ReplyDeleteI agree Colleen. Even learning more about the place you have lived all your life gives a greater appreciation for that place and the people who settled it.
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