This paper is based on government documents, published materials, interviews and
observations made by the author while on a June 2006 research trip to the Chuukese island of
Weno. Open-ended interviews were utilized due to the range of different available sources.
Interviews were conducted in both formal and informal settings. Respondents’ real names have
not been used; instead, they have been assigned pseudonyms. Notes were taken following each
interview. Informants were told the purpose of the interviews, but they were not paid for their
time. Extensive observations were also made around the island of Weno, while notes and
photographs were taken to document these observations. Finally, extensive use was made of
official documents of the Federated States of Micronesia’s central government in the form of
census and economic data. A number of technical reports from businesses and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), such as the Bank of Hawaii, the Asian Development Bank, and the
Micronesian Seminar, were also utilized.