ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the aboriginal political economy of Kosrae and shows how it was transformed in the nineteenth century as a result of contact with the representatives of European and American societies. Equally important for the later cultural transformation of the island is the “organizational” side of social activity. The courtyards of the various chiefs were separated by trails and water-filled canals, along which tribute was carried from the large island. The first definite sighting of Kosrae by a Westerner was by Crozer in 1804, who gave the island the name of Strong’s island after the governor of Massachusetts. The period when paganism existed is called the “dark time,” referring to cultural conditions before the missionary Benjamin Snow brought the light of Christianity to the island. The high elevations of the interior produce a minor variation between the western and eastern sides of the island, with the western portion receiving slightly more precipitation.
