(Press Release) — In 2025, over 100 community members from Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam engaged in workshops to map important ocean-related sites and practices in the Marianas archipelago. Dozens of cultural experts and practitioners captured a wealth of ocean heritage across the islands, highlighting their deep connection to the sea and islands.
In March, a team composed of local advocates and experts and researchers led by Dr. Jennifer McKinnon, a maritime archaeology professor at East Carolina University, will return to present the maps to the community in a series of meetings. The meetings will be held with participants of the mapping workshops who will review the maps and make sure the information is accurate.
“We’re excited and grateful to be returning to the Marianas starting next week to give those individuals who contributed to the project last year an opportunity to review what’s been captured before it is published,” said McKinnon. “Our research helps document that the ocean is as much a part of the people’s heritage, identity, and survival as the land, an unbroken, deep, and expansive connection that has existed for generations. We’re pleased to join with the community in creating this valuable resource.”
To hear more about the mapping project, results, and next steps, the public is invited to the American Memorial Park’s Visitor Center theater on March18, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. for a public talk by team members Jennifer McKinnon, Genevieve Cabrera and Madeline Roth.
The project was originally funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. However, the funding was terminated in September 2025. Despite the termination, McKinnon said the team is determined to complete the maps and ensure that the information stays with the local community.
Once the maps are complete and accurate, the team will develop ArcGIS StoryMaps, which are web-based communication tools that allow for maps embedded with multimedia such as photos and videos. These StoryMaps will be hosted online by the Northern Marianas Humanities Council by the end of 2026.
McKinnon has led and facilitated numerous other research projects in The Marianas, including the creation of the WWII Underwater Maritime Heritage Trail: Battle of Saipan.
