ABSTRACT
Pacific Islander Americans are a diverse group, with roots in dozens of island archipelagos-some independent countries, others possessions of European nations, and still others colonies, or in the case of Hawaii, a state, within the United States. Pacific Islanders fall into three basic ethnic categories: Polynesian (Hawaiians, Samoans, and Tongans being the main groups), Micronesian (Guamanians or Chamorros, Marshall Islanders, and Palauans), and Melanesians (the only significant group in America being persons from Fiji). While Pacific Islanders have been present on the U.S. mainland since the nineteenth century, major immigration and migration did not begin until after World War II. More generally, Pacific Islander Americans can be divided into two basic groups-those who have migrated or immigrated to the American mainland and those who live in Hawaii or territories belonging to the United States. The former tend to follow the acculturation patterns of other immigrants; the latter retain more of their traditional way of life.
