As I continue my Chamorro genealogy journey researching the ancestry and descendants Maria Castro delos Santos and the Bonin Islands I came across more fascinating information and possibilities. There is archaeological evidence that strongly support some type of pre-historical relationship between the Mariana Islands and the Bonin Islands; long before any historical recordings of the sighting of the Bonin Islands or even discovery of the islands. Some of the archaeological evidence found were stone adzes that are very similar to those found in the Mariana Islands. Very few literatures would seem to posit credit to the Chamorro people for discovering the Bonin Islands.
Were the Chamorro people the first navigators to discover, visit or even settle in the Bonin (Ogasawara Islands)??? Hmmmm….
References:
Long, Daniel. 2007. English on the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands. Durham, NC: Duke University Press
Oda, Shizuo. 1983. The Archaeology of the Ogasawara Islands. Asian Perspectives, XXIV (1), 111-138.
