POHNPEIANS IN HA WAI'I: REFASHIONING IDENTITI IN DIASPORA

VOYAGING has long been a central feature in the lives of Oceanic peoples. Once they entered the Pacific Ocean, they became comfortably at home in a large and unbounded "sea of islands " (Hau'ofa 1993). This vision of home-as a large sea full of places to explore, harvest, or settle and full of people to visit, exchange with, or dominate-allowed its inhabitants to live a fluid and mobile lifestyle (Hau'ofa 1993; Heine 2008). Fueled by an endUring sense of wanderlust and a quest for adventure, resources, and prestige, their voyages were aided by their very fine Sailing vessels and navigational knowledge. These crafts and skills were found throughout the Oceanic region, but they were honed to an exceptionally high degree in the region known as Micronesia, where they still exist. Voyaging, in greatly modified form, continues to be an important part of Micronesian life today. The recent flood of Pohnpeian and other Micronesian migrants to Hawai'i is driven by various cultural and historical factors-ancient, colonial, and contemporary. Once in Hawai'i, Pohnpeian identity is both maintained and transformed through a variety of cultural practices. Their refashioned identity is not entirely self-made, however, but is also subject to the webs of power linked to the nation state (Ong 1996). The prevailing social climate in Hawai'i, which has been less than welcom-ing to Micronesian migrants, has challenged Pohnpeian abilities to adapt t