Pacific Islands home front during World War II

rdf:langString Pacific Islands home front during World War II

rdf:langString Clockwise from upper left: Suva , ethnic groups of the Pacific Ocean, Papuans at the Port Moresby harbourside , American parade through Auckland

rdf:langString StateLibQld 1 123321 Papuans at the Port Moresby harbourside, 1946.jpg

rdf:langString Pacific Culture Areas.png

rdf:langString Parade Through Auckland, New Zealand, 1943 .jpg

rdf:langString Streetscape .jpg

rdf:langString The civilian population, culture and infrastructure of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia (Pacific Islands) were completely changed between 1941 and 1945, due to the logistical requirements of the Allies in their war against Japan (taemfaet and daidowa in Micronesian or sahaya kana tuta in Melanesian). At the start of the war some of the islands had experienced up to 200 years of colonialism from Europe and its colonies, some on the verge of being fully annexed, others close to independence. The early Japanese expansion through the western Pacific then introduced a new colonial system to many islands. The Japanese occupation subjected the indigenous people of Guam and other Pacific Islands to forced labor, family separation, incarceration, execution, concentration camps, and forced prostitution, but also created opportunities for advanced education. The Pacific Islands then experienced military action, massive troop movements, and limited resource extraction and building projects as the Allies pushed the Japanese back to their home islands. The juxtaposition of all these cultures led to a new understanding among the indigenous Pacific Islanders of their relationship with the colonial powers.