Nesor Annim, Niteikapar (Good Morning, Cardinal Honeyeater): Indigenous Reflections on Micronesian Women and the Environment

Women across Oceania are social justice champions and advocates for Indigenous rights, political independence, anti-militarism, a nuclear-free Pacific, climate change justice, and gender equality. Recent studies have shown that Pacific women are empowered by their maternal responsibility to take a leadership role in protecting people, their resources, and the environment. To further expand on women's leadership role, I look into a deep Oceanic understanding of women and the environment, showing that Indigenous stories across Micronesia esteem the environment as sacred and maternal. Drawing on Indigenous stories of creation, I argue that Micronesian women historically held powerful status and prestige in their societies and that understanding maternal responsibility can be empowering and can advance gender equality, community resilience, and women's leadership in the contemporary Pacific.