As part of my work with Micronesian Seminar, we’ve developed?two videos on migration for wide release: The Missing Micronesians (2009) and Micronesians Abroad (2006). ?In response to many requests, I have made both of these?videos available below for those of you that would like to stream it. Please note that you’ll need to install the DivX plug-in in order to?do so.
The Missing Micronesians
2009 (56:00 mins) Island Topics #66 (No video? Get the DivX Web Player for Windows or Mac)
Tens of thousands of Micronesians now live in the US, where they have migrated to find jobs, education and health care. This one-hour documentary, a sequel to ?Micronesians Abroad,? tracks down some of these islanders in a handful of small towns in the Midwest. Islanders may have once been concentrated in a few key destinations, but they now turn up just about everywhere. Despite the usual adjustment problems, they have adapted well to their new homes, where they work long shifts, celebrate parties with friends, and even enjoy winter sports.
This video explores the ties they retain with the people they have left behind. The impact of their departure has been felt in their home islands, but the millions of dollars they send back home each year is a boon for their family, their friends and their nation.
Micronesians Abroad
2006 (69:00 mins) Island Topics #49?(No video? Get the DivX Web Player for Windows or Mac)
Since the 1990s Micronesians have been leaving in unprecedented numbers to make their home in the US. Today, 30,000 people from FSM, or one out of every four citizens, is living abroad. Islanders from the Marshall Islands and Palau are also leaving in great numbers.
Micronesians Abroad offers a look at islanders in their new homes in Honolulu, Pasadena, Corsicana, Orlando, southern Missouri and Portland. This documentary takes us into the homes and workplaces of these transplanted Micronesians to reveal the struggles they face and the rewards they reap. This video presents, in islanders’ own words, the struggles they face and the strategies they devise for coping with them.