This Oral History Project was conducted under the auspices of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) Archives at Northern Marianas College (NMC), from 1990 to 2001. Interviews were conducted by then-Director of the CNMI Archives, Herbert Del Rosario (1953 – 2015), in an effort to preserve the knowledge and experiences of the peoples of the Marianas, specifically in relation to life under the Japanese Administration as well as the events leading up to, during, and following World War II. The interviews were recorded on videotape (VHS and Betamax) by James Deleon Guerrero, Ray D. Diaz, Isaac Ngirbabul, Jim Ellis, and Michael Wright; transcribed by Herbert Del Rosario, David R. Omar, and Nomi L Kosaka; and translated by Herbert Del Rosario, Nomi L. Kosaka, and David R. Omar. These materials were digitized and made publicly available online during the spring, summer, and fall of 2018.

The original Oral History Project – and the digitization of its artifacts, available here – was made possible by support from the Northern Marianas Humanities Council, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Northern Marianas Humanities Council, or the CNMI Archives. A copy of Mr. Herbert Del Rosario’s original description of this Oral History Project can be found here.