Jemjem māāl ("Honing the spirit of community"): Fostering climate resilience in the Marshall Islands through oral histories of women's roles and the practices of community engagement in voyaging interaction networks.

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dc.contributor.advisorGenz, Joseph H.
dc.contributor.advisorInglis, Kerri A.
dc.contributor.authorMyazoe, Jerolynn Neikeke
dc.contributor.departmentHeritage Management
dc.date.accessioned2025-06-27T18:44:33Z
dc.date.available2025-06-27T18:44:33Z
dc.date.issued2025-05
dc.description.degreeM.A.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10790/43995
dc.subjectCultural anthropology
dc.subjectBwebwenato
dc.subjectClimate Resilience
dc.subjectCommunity Engagement
dc.subjectOral History
dc.subjectVoyaging Networks
dc.subjectWomen's Roles
dc.titleJemjem māāl ("Honing the spirit of community"): Fostering climate resilience in the Marshall Islands through oral histories of women's roles and the practices of community engagement in voyaging interaction networks.
dc.typeThesis
dcterms.abstractThis thesis explores the pivotal role of women in fostering climate change adaptation in the Marshall Islands through oral histories of the community engagement activities in voyaging interaction networks. Centered on the concept of jemjem māāl—a metaphor for honing the spirit of community resilience—this thesis investigates how traditional forms of community engagement, often overlooked in seafaring narratives, can contribute to adaptive capacity and sustainable sea transport strategies today. Drawing from oral histories, participant observation, and bwebwenato (storytelling), alongside Indigenous research protocols, this study highlights the generational knowledge and cultural practices upheld by Marshallese women that have sustained communities through environmental and social transformations. Through this research, five major themes emerged: practices of community engagement, responsibilities on a voyaging canoe, voyaging patterns, metaphors of canoes, and cultural stewardship. Among the many traditional knowledge systems examined, women have played essential roles in resource management, particularly in ways that intersect with the sociocultural dimensions of voyaging. Their contributions include organizing food preservation for long-distance travel, maintaining kinship networks that facilitate inter-atoll exchange, transmitting ecological knowledge crucial for navigation, and upholding social structures that ensure the continuity of intergenerational learning. By understanding these roles, this thesis seeks to reposition Marshallese women within seafaring traditions and demonstrate how their knowledge remains vital for contemporary climate resilience efforts.
dcterms.extent219 pages
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.publisherUniversity of Hawaii at Hilo
dcterms.rightsAll UHH dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
dcterms.typeText
local.identifier.alturihttps://www.proquest.com/LegacyDocView/DISSNUM/32046458

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