The exploration of the Indo-Pacific’s vast aquatic realm required intimate knowledge of both sea and land and required increasingly sophisticated seafaring technologies to reach the most remote islands. While relatively much is known about the larger landmasses given a host of issues ranging from greater visibility, easier access, and more abundant resources, the majority of islands in the region are comparatively small yet have long histories of settlement dating back centuries or even millennia. How did people first find these patches of land across an endless sea? What types of adaptations were required to survive over long periods of time and what lifeways developed that set them apart from others? Specifically, what types of social, political, economic, or ecological practices emerged in small island settings, and how do these push back against, or conversely, support traditional models of small island settlement? In this session, we examine the smallest of islands found across the Indo-Pacific to help answer these and other questions, highlighting the divergent ways in which people inhabited diminutive spaces.