Resilience and Reverence

By Jovannalyn Mafnas, PHP-AMME Education Specialist

American Memorial Park and Pacific Historic Parks were awarded the Women in Parks Innovation and Impact Grant from the National Park Foundation. The project, titled “Resilience and Reverence: Wartime and Women of the Northern Mariana Islands” documents the stories of indigenous women who often are in the background of many histories. The project aims to bring their stories to life in a documentary that will convey the memories and experiences of two different generations of women in the Marianas. This would include the women who were resilient and lived through a time of unprecedented war and hardship, and the women who decades later came together in reverence of all who were affected by the battles of Saipan and Tinian to help make American Memorial Park what it is today.

Although the grant project is currently well on its way, it was not without delay. The grant was awarded to American Memorial Park on March of 2020, but only a few days later, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a pandemic. As a result, the park and all operations ceased and the project was put on hold. It was not until the fall of 2020 that American Memorial Park opened its doors once again and the project truly began. To get things started, Denton Pangelinan, a local videographer from Saipan was contracted to film the interviews that would take place at American Memorial Park. During the first few months of the project, he worked closely with Pacific Historic Parks Education Specialist, Jovannalyn Mafnas and Lead Interpretation Ranger Brooke Nevitt to prepare for the interviews with the women identified for the project.

The interviews with the women began in April and each individual had her own unique experience to share. The first group of women were all born on Saipan during the Japanese Administration. Life took them down many different paths, but all would experience the effects of war. Although they were young when war reached the Northern Mariana Islands, all would experience loss and hardships along with their families as they lived through this terrifying time. Life after the war was difficult; together with their families they overcame obstacles, displaying the strength and resiliency of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands. The second group of women had a different story to tell. Being born after World War II, none had experienced life during the war, but all would hear stories of the war from the memories of their elders. The stories shared with them helped to shape them into the women they are today.

The project continues with only a few more interviews to conduct. Editing will take place over the summer and a public screening of the films is scheduled to be done this fall. The goal of this project is to gather and preserve the stories of these women for future generations to come. We hope that the stories will empower not just young girls, but help the community to remember, honor, and understand the history shared through these stories.

Photos by Jovannalyn Mafnas