Guam's Hidden Gem: Archaeological and historical studies at Ritidian

Description

The Ritidian Site is located in the United States island territory of Guam, the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The site holds a data-rich 3500-year record of natural and cultural history of the islands, now uniquely preserved and open for public access in the Ritidian Unit of Guam National Wildlife Refuge. The place means many things for people in different perspectives, together speaking volumes of Ritidan's powerful effects as a heritage landscape. Today, Ritidian is known as an archaeological site, as a place where important historical events occurred, as a home of preserved forest habitat, as a spiritual retreat, as an example of land-ownership struggles in Guam, and as much more. While research is ongoing, this book offers a summary update of findings by scholars who have studied different aspects of the profundity and complexity of Ritidian's integrated natural-cultural landscape history. Front Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication List of Contributors Table of Contents Contexts of natural-cultural history: A 3500-year record at Ritidian in Guam Ritidian and Songsong across the Rota Channel: Historic Significance and Culture of Historic Preservation Conflict at Contact: Late 17th Century Spanish Missions and la Reducción in Northern Guam Reconstructing Cultural Landscapes for the Latte Period Settlement of Ritidian: A Hypothetical Model in Northern Guam The Ancestral Legacy of Chief Apuro of Litekyan: Teacher of Mari Community Archaeology at Ritidian: University of Guam Archaeological Field Schools and Contributions to Community History and Cultural Resource Management Learning about Latte at Ritidian Site Definitions in a Complex Archaeological Landscape: An Example at Ritidian, Guam