History of the Pacific Islands
The history of the Pacific Islands covers the history of the islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Tuvaluan man in traditional costume drawn by Alfred Agate in 1841 during the United States Exploring Expedition.
The Chamorro people are the Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands, politically divided between the United States territory of Guam and the encompassing Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia, a commonwealth of the US. Today, significant Chamorro populations also exist in several U.S. states, including Hawaii, California, Washington, Texas, Tennessee, Oregon, and Nevada, all of which together are designated as Pacific Islander Americans according to the U.S. Census. According to the 2000 Census, about 64,590 people of Chamorro ancestry live in Guam and another 19,000 live in the Northern Marianas.
Chamorro performers at the Pacific Islander Festival Association in San Diego, 2010
Reception of a Manila galleon by the Chamorro in the Ladrones Islands, circa 1590 Boxer Codex
Reconstruction of how latte stone structures may have appeared
Chamorros fishing, 1819