The pearl fisheries of the Sulu Archipelago : The meeting of cultures, ideas and values during american colonization

This study investigates the cultural meeting between the indigenous peoples of the Sulu Archipelago and American colonists in the beginning of the 20th century, regarding certain aspects of the important pearl fisheries of the region. The purpose and aim of the study is to gain a better understanding of the different views, ideas and conflicts surrounding the pearl fisheries, using concurrences as a theoretical framework and methodological approach. Our investigation of colonial reports, letter correspondence and newspaper articles has shown that the economic point of view is the most central to both american and native parties, though results vary between representatives. There is interesting similarities but also important differences to note, especially the religious and traditional aspects of the Sulu people compared to american and colonial capitalism. The study has also shown that state of conflict is more prominent in the source material compared to state of consensus even if there is signs of both related to the pearl fisheries. We also draw the conclusion that conflict wasn’t limited to relations between foreign and native parties but is also crucial to understand internal differences