Mystery in the eye of the Beholder:Cross‐cultural encounters on 19th‐century Yap∗

Abstract

After more than three centuries of fleeting encounters between Islanders and Europeans in the Western Carolines, contacts began to grow in frequency and duration in the mid‐19th century. This article focuses on the island of Yap during that period of increased, but still unofficial, contact, ending with formal colonisation by Spain in 1886. The traders who formed the bulk of the foreign population on Yap during this era brought with them contagious diseases, which contributed to Yap's drastic population decline, a trend which continued well into the 20th century. Yapese responded to new trade goods judiciously, maintaining a good deal of control over the trade process. Violence and aggression were not uncommon; but given the tiny trader enclave's vulnerability and need to conduct business, co‐operation and understanding also formed part of the story. The exact nature of the relationship between the two groups remains a mystery.

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