Reduction of the Marianas: Resettlement into Villages under the Spanish
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Once hostilities ended during the early mission period, the Spanish began resettling the population, greatly diminished by disease, into villages. The period of resettlement lasted half a century (1680-1730). This booklet explores the purpose and the process of resettlement. It also explores how the new village might be compared to the old in terms of layout and cultural practices.
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
This short booklet traces in simple language island links with the past. It tries to show the general route, geographical and cultural, from island Micronesia all the way back to Africa some 50,000 years earlier. The history is broken down into five segments, although the trail sometimes fades away for long periods.
On Your Mark, Get Set... Tourism’s Take-Off in Micronesia
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
When Continental Air Micronesia inaugurated regular jet air service to the Trust Territory in the late 1960s, it opened commercial possibilities for islands then struggling with an uncertain political and economic future. Tourism became a distant hope as an engine for economic growth. In 1970, Continental built three new 50 room hotels in Chuuk, Palau, and the Northern Marianas and began vigorously promoting the islands as a Pacific paradise getaway destination. What happened over subsequent decades in these three island groups is the subject of this study. It offers lessons for other island nations hoping for a tourism boom today.
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
German colonial rule in the region was short—30 years in the Marshalls and only 15 years everywhere else—but it made a significant impact on most island groups. This short work reviews the major accomplishments of the Germans in each island group. It also offers photographs of the period, many previously unpublished, from the German Capuchin Archives.
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Pohnpei: FSM Historic Preservation Office. 96 pp. 2016
When Cultures Clash: Revisiting the ‘Spanish-Chamorro Wars’
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
The arrival of Spanish missionaries to the Marianas in 1668 was a first in Pacific Island history; it signaled the beginning of intense Western presence in the islands. The troubled years that followed, marked by intermittent outbreaks of violence, came to be known as the “Spanish-Chamorro Wars.” According to the standard textbooks, this thirty-year period was one of utter devastation–forced conversion, rapid cultural change, precipitous population decline, and loss of Chamorro identity. Or was it? This book seeks to offer a better grounded and more nuanced understanding of this critical period of initial Western contact in the Pacific.
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Why are islanders so lavishly generous with food and material possessions but so guarded with information? Why do these people, unfailingly polite for the most part, laugh openly when others embarrass themselves? What does a smile mean to an islander? Making Sense of Micronesia is intended for westerners who find themselves in contact with Micronesians—as teachers, social workers, health-care providers, or simply as friends—and are puzzled by their island ways. It is for anyone struggling to make sense of cultural exchanges they don’t quite understand.
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2013. 182 pp.
History of the Caroline Islands
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
The history of the diocese is a journey from the first Catholic evangelization of the Carolines in the late nineteenth century up to the present day. It is a celebration of the growth of a church that has by now developed island cultural roots even as it has been brought under the leadership of Micronesians. The text is supplemented by many historical photos and a section on each of the parishes in the diocese.
Jay Dobbin with Francis X. Hezel, SJ
What was island religion like before the coming of Christianity? Drawing on all the sources available, this book reconstructs the old religions of re-modern Micronesia. It offers a chapter on the religious beliefs and practices of each part of Micronesia, emphasizing what is unique to that particular island group and what is shared with other places. The summary provides an overview of elements of religion that are found throughout the entire region.
Jay Dobbin with Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Honolulu: UH Press, 2011. 286pp
Written by Tim Smit. Edited by Francis X. Hezel, SJ
This textbook on the history of the Federated States of Micronesia describes the origins of the islands and their people. It also shows how people from several different island groups have been altered by outside forces over the years and how, in the end, they have become a single nation today.
Micronesian Government: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Written by Josh Levy. Edited by Francis X. Hezel, SJ
This textbook focuses less on how the modern democratic government operates today than on how it evolved over time. It begins with the traditional authority systems in different island groups and then tracks the changes that impacted up to the present.
Written by Josh Levy. Edited by Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Pohnpei: FSM Department of Education, 2008. 315 pp.
The Catholic Church in Micronesia
By Francis X. Hezel, SJ
A simply told story of the founding and growth of the Catholic Church in each island group, with lists of missionary personnel, local clergy, and parish churches appended. This book was prepared for the centennial of the church in each island group.
The New Shape of Old Island Cultures
by Francis X. Hezel, SJ
How have Micronesian cultures changed since World War II? This book presents a pointed synthesis of important changes from the Marshall Islands to Palau, ranging from family structure, land and gender roles to the cultural treatment of life events (birth, marriage, death). This book draws on the author's own real-life experiences and anthropological literature.
by Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2001. 198 pp.
By Francis X. Hezel, S.J., and Clark Graham
The sunken Japanese fleet in Chuuk has become a world famous diving attraction for scuba enthusiasts. The sunken ships, bombed during the US counteroffensive against Japan in 1944, constitute a museum and a valuable asset for the Federated States of Micronesia. This book is an introduction to this museum, as well as to the events that produced the museum and the efforts that have made to preserve it from the depredations of humans and nature.
By Francis X. Hezel, SJ
The volume, covering the period from 1886 to 1986, presents the drama of social change in Micronesia under four flags: Spanish, German, Japanese and American. The book chronicles the attempt of each administration to bring the “blessings of civilization” and the varied responses of island people.
By Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1995. 467 pp.
By Francis X. Hezel, SJ
The fifty year period between 1690 and 1740 is extremely significant in the history of the Mariana Islands, although it has heretofore received little scholarly attention. Utilizing contemporary letters and reports penned by Jesuit missionaries who served in the islands, this book examines the major events of this period and their effects on traditional Chamorro society.
By Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Saipan: CNMI Divison of Historical Preservation, 1989. 78pp.
The First Taint of Civilization
By Francis X. Hezel, SJ
A spirited tale of early exchanges between Micronesians and the West–from early Spanish explorers through 19th century whalers, traders, missionaries and beachcombers to the warship captains that planted the first foreign flags on the islands.
By Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1983. 365 pp.
Edited by Francis X. Hezel, S.J. and Mark Berg
This coffee-table book is well illustrated with photos and drawings depicting the islands’ journey to modern times. Introductory essays link first-hand accounts by foreigners describing what they saw or did in the islands. The book embraces 400 years of history, from Magellan to US naval administration in early 1950s.
Edited by Francis X. Hezel, S.J. and Mark Berg
Saipan 1980. 365 pp.
