ABSTRACT
In parts of the Pacific, the words "domestic violence" conjure up images of men strapping their wives into subservience. The Marshall Islands present a different scenario. Violence does occur there, but it is not necessarily initiated by males. Enewetak and Ujelang are the westernmost of the Marshall Islands. This group of atolls in the central Pacific were granted independence in October 1986 under a compact of Free Association with the United States. The group was exiled on Ujelang Atoll from 1948 until 1980 to allow the United States to conduct nuclear tests and related experiments on their atoll. Ujelang associate men with violent acts that are rooted in inherent qualities that tie "maleness" to men's warrior status. They associate females with love and reconciliation, seemingly the antithesis of violence. Disputes involving vocal and physical abuse quite commonly arise among same-sexed youths from different clans. Females, who are culturally restrained from physical violence, vocally defend their brothers.
