The Ngatik Massacre (1837)

In July 1837, the Ngatik Massacre took place on the atoll of Sapwuahfik in Micronesia for tortoise shells. Captain C. H. Hart and the crew of the trading cutter Lampton from Sydney, Australia, massacred almost the entire male population-about 50 Sapwuahfik men-while raiding the island for tortoiseshell. This massacre left a lasting cultural and linguistic impact on the region. Hart had hoped to raid what he believed was a large stash of tortoiseshell on the island.

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