A few years ago I spent several weeks on Maui sleeping outdoors on a friend’s lanai in the shade of a mango tree.

We lived off the islands abundant resources which included star fruit, papaya, lilikoi, banana, mango, pineapple and fresh caught fish.

Among our friends were a group of Micronesian boys who grew up living off the same natural resources of their home islands.

Spears were tree branches improvised with barbs made from stainless steel spreaders of dismantled umbrellas left by tourists.

The earliest traces of civilization in Micronesia have been dated to 1,500 BC on the island of Saipan.

Ferdinand Magellan reached the Marianas in 1521 and is believed to be the earliest known contact by outsiders.

The islanders were surprised by the visitors because they believed the islands contained all the world’s inhabitants.