Micronesian Diary
Felicia R. Beardsley
Nan Madol Image Felicia Beardsley
Nan Madol, Pohnpei, FSM
Dr. Felicia Beardsley at Kitti

Micronesia map

PREFACE

The Federated States of Micronesia stretches across more than a million square miles of ocean in the Western Pacific and is comprised of more than 600 volcanic islands and coral atolls with a total land area of only 271 square miles. Dr. Felicia R. Beardsley, serving as a consulting archaeologist for the national government of Micronesia, will be working her way across the FSM, visiting the states of Pohnpei, Yap, and Kosrae. She will survey and record as many of the prehistoric and historic sites as time and circumstance permit, advise and instruct local historical preservation office staff in cultural resource management, provide technical assistance in archaeological and preservation matters, help develop preservation plans and legislation for state and federal offices, develop maps of key cultural areas, promote the collection and preservation of oral histories, and undertake preliminary investigations of important sites.

Dr. Beardsley has worked throughout the Pacific for more than 15 years. Her interest in prehistoric stone architecture has taken her from Easter Island in the south to the Republic of Palau in the north. Over time she has expanded her research to include earth terraces and stone quarries. She currently holds a research appointment in the Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside where she is also coordinator of the Pacific Rim Research Unit.

 


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