Figure 1 Map of Marshall Islands Courtesy of www.bikiniatoll.com
4 later the Germans began to exploit the fertile, southern Marshall Islands for the production of copra oil from coconuts. Meanwhile, Bikini Atoll, with a total land area of 3.4 square miles, remained unexplored due to its location in the dry, northern area of the Marshall Islands. Such isolation influenced strong family ties and tradition among Bikinians while also creating a belief that land ownership was an accurate measure of an individual鈥檚 wealth and prosperity (Niedenthal, 2001, p. 1). In the words of Bikinian Jukwa Jakeo, 鈥淭o all Marshallese, land is gold鈥?(as cited in Niedenthal, 2001, p. 111). Housing and Food The Marshall Islanders, including the Bikinians, have long created their homes and other types of buildings using beam posts and thatched roofs. Materials used for the construction include wood from the mangroves, coral gravel for flooring, and thatching and mats made from coconut and pandanus (a tree- or shrub-like flowering plant) (Spennemann, D.H.R., 2000). For access to bountiful food sources, the Bikinians relied heavily on the protected lagoon within their atoll for harvesting fish, using spears, basketlike fishtraps, and fishnets as well as canoes for strategic positioning (Spennemann, D.H.R., 1998,). Other important food sources include coconut crabs, edible birds, and fruits such as the breadfruit, pandanus, and the essential, coconut (Spennemann, D.H.R., 2000). Background: U.S. Presence During the first half of the 20th century, Bikini Atoll and the rest of the Marshall Islands were part of the outer reaches of the Japanese empire and were thus used by Japanese troops during World War II (Deines, et.al., 1990). The U.S. effectively removed the Japanese control in a bloody battle that captured Kwajalein Atoll, Southeast
5 of Bikini, in February of 1944 (Niedenthal, 2001). U.S. troops in turn assumed occupation of the Marshall Islands at this time. The war was effectively and shockingly ended just over a year later when the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, killing more that 150,000 people and injuring at least 100,000 others (Chace, 1996). Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Army and Navy, under the direction of President Harry S. Truman, launched plans to use the new strategic stronghold in the Marshall Islands as an opportunistic location to experiment with nuclear weapons. 鈥極peration Crossroads鈥?was the first series within a decade of testing that was to be conducted within Bikini Atoll. Throughout the summer of 1946, two detonations would be executed to 鈥渟tudy the effects of nuclear weapons on ships, equipment and material鈥?(U.S. Department of the Navy, 2002, p.1).
上一页下一页
下载该文档
文档格式：PDF
更新时间：2007-01-02
下载次数：0
点击次数：1
Figure 1 Map of Marshall Islands Courtesy of www.bikiniatoll.com 4 later the Germans began to exploit the fertile, southern Marshall Islands for the production of copra oil from coconuts. Meanwhile, Bikini Atoll, with a total land area of 3.4 square miles, remained unexplored due to its location in the dry, northern area of the Marshall Islands. Such isolation influenced strong family ties and tradition among Bikinians while also creating a belief that land ownership was an accurate measure of an individual鈥檚 wealth and prosperity (Niedenthal, 2001, p. 1). In the words of Bikinian Jukwa Jakeo, 鈥淭o all Marshallese, land is gold鈥?(as cited in Niedenthal, 2001, p. 111). Housing and Food The Marshall Islanders, including the Bikinians, have long created their homes and other types of buildings using beam posts and thatched roofs. Materials used for the construction include wood from the mangroves, coral gravel for flooring, and thatching and mats made from coconut and pandanus (a tree- or shrub-like flowering plant) (Spennemann, D.H.R., 2000). For access to bountiful food sources, the Bikinians relied heavily on the protected lagoon within their atoll for harvesting fish, using spears, basketlike fishtraps, and fishnets as well as canoes for strategic positioning (Spennemann, D.H.R., 1998,). Other important food sources include coconut crabs, edible birds, and fruits such as the breadfruit, pandanus, and the essential, coconut (Spennemann, D.H.R., 2000). Background: U.S. Presence During the first half of the 20th century, Bikini Atoll and the rest of the Marshall Islands were part of the outer reaches of the Japanese empire and were thus used by Japanese troops during World War II (Deines, et.al., 1990). The U.S. effectively removed the Japanese control in a bloody battle that captured Kwajalein Atoll, Southeast 5 of Bikini, in February of 1944 (Niedenthal, 2001). U.S. troops in turn assumed occupation of the Marshall Islands at this time. The war was effectively and shockingly ended just over a year later when the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, killing more that 150,000 people and injuring at least 100,000 others (Chace, 1996). Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Army and Navy, under the direction of President Harry S. Truman, launched plans to use the new strategic stronghold in the Marshall Islands as an opportunistic location to experiment with nuclear weapons. 鈥極peration Crossroads鈥?was the first series within a decade of testing that was to be conducted within Bikini Atoll. Throughout the summer of 1946, two detonations would be executed to 鈥渟tudy the effects of nuclear weapons on ships, equipment and material鈥?(U.S. Department of the Navy, 2002, p.1).