FROM THE ARCHIVES
Help us complete the story.
September is Chamorro and Carolinian Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the traditions, knowledge, and stories that connect generations across the Marianas. This photograph from the Spoehr Collection in the Northern Marianas Humanities Council Digital Archives captures one of those traditions in action: a man carefully weaving coconut leaves by hand.
But there is more to this photograph than what we can see.
Who is he? Where was the photograph taken? What was he making? Perhaps you recognize the setting, the technique—or even the man himself.
We are asking for your help to complete the story.
What Can a Photograph Tell Us?
Historical photographs preserve remarkable details, but the information recorded with them is sometimes incomplete. Community knowledge can help us better understand what a photograph preserves—not only names and places, but techniques, practices, relationships, and memories that may not appear in an archival record.
Can You Help Us Identify This Photograph?
Do you recognize the person pictured here? Do you know where this photograph may have been taken, what he was making, or the weaving technique being used? Even a small detail may help us better understand and describe this image for future researchers and community members.
From the Spoehr Collection
This photograph is part of the Spoehr Collection in the Northern Marianas Humanities Council Digital Archivews. Alexander Spoehr, an archaeologist and anthropologist, conducted research in the Marianas between 1949 and 1951. His work produced photographs and other documentation of life in the islands during this period. Today, some of those images preserve details for which identifying information remains incomplete.
About From the Archives
From the Archives shares photographs, documents, recordings, and other materials from the Northern Marianas Humanities Council’s collections and invites our community to help recover the names, places, experiences, and knowledge they preserve.
