MICRONESIAN WORLD WAR II SONGS AND CHANTS Serving a Variety of Functions

While song in Micronesia may not yet have received a substantial amount of attention, preliminary investigations indi-cate that the writing and performing of WWII songs served many functions for Micronesians. These songs were a vehi-cle for storytelling, served as a recording of collective memory, provided humor, entertainment, and distraction, offered therapeutic or healing functions, functioned as a form of resistance, provided a sense of group identity, and served as mnemonic devices. The WWII songs of Micronesians served many purposes during the war and now, over 60 years af-ter the end of WWII, that songs are still being sung and transmitted is a testimony to the value and importance of these songs in Micronesian cultures and societies. Many historians would agree that World War II was one of the most significant, important, and change-producing events to ever occur in the Pacific region. The events and changes that took place during the Japanese occupation were noteworthy but the duration of their oc-cupation, the war years from 1941- 1945, are the years that will never be forgotten. Worl