UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII LISRARV

Volume 2, Number 2, Winter, 1995

PWO 'Birds? -Lisa~;;Jrnfon

This is an attempt on our part to straighten some­. thing because those who know have beard and

spoken. Please notice the change in the title head ~ of our newsletter. When the black rwddy bears

Westerners tend to value material, whereas news as Nahlikend En Leng, it does so in pairs. Pohnpeians value knowledge and, as a result, do Also it is not the call of the bird that delivers the not pass it around freely. Two old sayings illustrate message, but rather the beating together of the this tendency well. The first is, "Sobte me kin wingsofthetwobirdsinjlight tbatannouncestbe pangada pahn kasahn were," which means liter- news. Af this is an extremely rare occurrence, ally, "Nobody reveals the contents of his/her ca- people take note. There is a popular song in which noe." The other is, "Mweleng ehu obi," or "A man a young man lies asleep on a still night and is is an attic. 11 According to traditional belief, revela- awakened by Nahlikend En Leng. The messengers tion of one's entire body of knowledge results in tell the young ma.n to prepare his heart because his death so that often times a storyteller or historian fiance plans to leave him. We here at the HP&CA will tell '!lost of a legend correctly but leave out will continue to keep you informed of anything part or replace a key piece of the story with a further we discover. falsehood

This commonly known practice leads a person seeking information to probe several sources and to compare and contrast. The researcher also must take into account the reputation of the speaker when determining the veracity of the infonnation gained and demonstrate some knowledge of the subject in order to obtain the most accurate ac­cowzt possible. Another saying goes thus, "Pirakih me i pwahpwa. Me mwahngih nek rong oh kainenehla," or "What I have spoken is crooked. Those who know will hear and straighten it" A person never knows when he or she may have found the whole tn~th. Such is Pohnpeian culture and such is life.

State of the State Message Governor Johnny P. David delivered his administration's final (4th) State of the State Message, as required by the Pohnpei Consti­tution, on January 27, 1995, in the Legislature Chamber. Among his administration's achieve­ments and problems encountered, he reported to the Legislature the need to stabalize the monthly ship service to the outer islands be­cause .. the ship is the road to the outer is­lands". He also reported that "land is precious to Pohnpeians because it is scarce and repre­sents inheritance, tradition, and culture. The astablishment of the Lidorkini Museum pre­serves artifacts of Pohnpei history, culture, and tradition".

Nahlikend En Lengp.2

Sohsohralahn tiahk oh poadoapoad en Pohnpei

-Lerleeo David

Ohpis en Historic Preservation & Cultura!Affairs (HP&CA) kin nannantiheng en nahkpene tiahk oh poadoapoad en Pohnpei. Dahkot nahkpenebn tiahk oh poadoapoad? Ia kesempwaJ en nahkpenehn tiahk oh poadoapoad? Ia mwomwen nahkpenehn tiah.k oh poadoapoad? Emen emen kitail anahne en kak sapeng peidek pwukat, kitail pil anahne mehlel kitail en ese kesempwal en nahkpenehn tiahk oh poadoapoad.

Ohpis en HP&CA sohte ahneki manaman en ropada oh kitekehdi wasa kesempwal akan nan limen de sapwen emen emen aramas, ma se sohte alehdi mweimwei. Se peki rehn tohn Wein Pohnpei koaros en iang kit nan nahkpenehn tiahk oh poadoapoad. Kanaiehng wasa kesempwal de wasa poad en nan limomwi en, padahkihieng sapwelimomwi serih kan kesempwal en wasa pwukat. Tiahk oh poadoapoad en Pohnpei iei me kahrehieng atail weksang de sohte duwehte sahpw teikan nan sampah wet. Tiahk en Pohnpei oh poadoapoad en Pohnpei iei me kahrehieng wchin Pohnpei ah wia wasa kaselel ehu ohng kitail.

Mwein komwi sohte wehwehki me tohtohlahn aramas en mwehi et inenen tohtohsang pahr silisek samwaJahro. Wie tohtohlahn aramas pil kak kahrehieng sohsohralahn tiahk oh poadoapoad en Pohnpei. Met pwehki sang ni aramas ah wie tohtohla, me mah kan wie malamalaulaula, ahpw me mah kan me wehwehki laud duwen tiahk oh

poadoapoad en Pohnpei sang me pwulopwul kan. Kalahngan oh padahkiheng sapwelimomwi serih kan oh meh teikan duwen tiahk oh poadoapoad en Pohnpei pwehnkakiangsewese nahkpenehn tiahkoh poadoapoad en Pohnpei.

Mwebi me nekilahro pil iei mwehi me pahn kohdo. Kitail anahne nahkpenehn tiahkoh poadoapoad pwe ensewese mwehi me pahn kohdo. Ma kitail anabne mwehi kapw ehu me pahn mwahusang met, kitail anahne nabkpenehn tiahk oh poadoapoad. Mwehi me pabn kohdoh palm anabne mwehi me nekiero pwehn kak kairada mwehi kapw mwahu ehu. Wiewia en mahs iei dipwisou en ·keirada ehu mwehi.

Ma kitail sohte pahn nahkpene tiahk oh poadoapoad rahnwet, sohng tohto me kesempwal ohng kitail pahn sohrasang kitail. Nahkpenehn tiahk oh poadoapoad en Pohnpei inenen kesempwaJ ohng kitail, ihme kahrehda kitail anahne sawas pene oh nahkpene sapwlimatail tiahk oh poadoapoad.

Dolen Sokebs, pil wia ehu karasepe mwahu oh sansal ohng kitail. Rahn wet kitail koaros kin kahdaneki takai wet Dolen Sokehs, abpw ih udahn ede Paipalap, me wehwehki Iapalahn paip de takai, oh Soupaip, me wehwehki, soumas de kaun en paip takai.

Nahkpenehn sapwelimatail tiahk de poadoapoad en Pohnpei inenenkesempwal, pwehki wekidekilaen mwehi de keirda laud ah mie nan Pohnpei rahn wet. Kosoi tohto me salongalahr de kitail tohn mwehi kapw wet solahr patowan, pil duwehte lepin mahsen akan. Mie Jepin mahsen de lokaia me kitail solahr doadoahngki pwe kitail wie doadoahngki lokaia en Sapahn Qapanese) oh Wai (English). Karasepen lepin mahsen de lokaiaen Pohnpei me kitail solahr doadoah.ogki iei:

pedengel, me wehwehki uhpene de siai perihri, met pil wehwehki siai ewen kie keng, ansou ieu me doadoahk kin engimwahu rehn aramas oh kin kak kahrehda ohlahn dipwisou ieteht, lepin mahsen wahu ieu me pil wehwehki ansouet, iet, de pil metakan

Nablikerui En Leng p.3

Our Outer Islands

Of Taro and Eels -Lisa R. Andon

Taro is a life-sustaining and important food on Kapingamarangi. The starchy root with broad leaves grows in patches of mud and must remain wet throughout its growing cycle. The people of Kapingamarangi hand-build their taro patches as the required mud flats do not exist naturalJy on the coral atol I. Construction of the mud flats entails the continual and strenuous labor of digging furrows up to ten feet deep and often extending several hundred feet in length and 10 to 20 feet in width. The islanders then proceed to fill the trenches with compost material and coconut fiber in order to produce the mud necessary for raising the all­important taro. These mud flats require constant maintenance in order to ensure the nutritive quality of the soil and sometimes require a complete re­moval and replacement of the damaged taro (brought from undamaged areas) in cases of saJt water contamination.

The work is difficult, involves all members of the community, and the crops precarious. As a result the Kapingamarangi have given thanks for the continued success and productivity of their taro patches for centuries in the form of a traditional feast. The modern Kapingamaraogi give thanks to the Christian God but before western contact they gave thanks to their own deity by capturing and barbecuing moray eels. March 15 is now a legal holiday on the island during which the residents hold their feast day.

As early as two weeks before the festival, teams of fishermen begin to harvest the moray eels. To avoid injury, the fishermen use traps loaded with grated coconut and upon capture of the eels, empty then. into the bottom of their canoes without actu­ally handling them. By the time that they return to land, the eels have tired and have become accus­tomed to their surroundings enough that it is then safe to carefully pick them up and ease them into the storage ponds on the atoll. A team of fishermen

, can catch up to fifty eels in one day. There arc six districts on the atoll and each district sponsors a fishing team. On the day of the feast, there may be anywhere between 600 and I 000 eels roasting over the open fires.

In the past the High Chief would direct the proceed­ings and would get the first serving of eel and taro. Unlike Pohnpei proper, there was no distinction between the remainder of the participants and everybody partook equally. Today, the Chief Magistrate of the island runs the celebration, which yachts from all over the world came to witness and if the Micro-Glory is on schedule, others from Pohnpei state may also have the chance to see. Capture and consumption of the eels is not re­stricted to the annual thanksgiving but is generally reserved for important occasions such as funerals and the anniversary of funerals.

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Nahlikend E11 Leng p. 4

Munitions Detonations -from the History and Archaeology Section

On January 23, 1995 a U.S. Navy detonation team arrived from Guam for the purpose of destroying remaining World War II artillery rounds left by the Japanese on Tern wen Island, a five hundred pound U.S bomb found at Nanpohnmatl, Sokehs and another • round in Wonc, Kitti. On Tuesday, January 24th,the Public Safety Director, Nickontro Johnny, Officer lnos Primo (aJso of Pu blic Safety), Disaster and . Emergency Assistant, Dais Lorrin, and Field Re­searcher Retty Lawrence from the Historic Preserva­tion Office accompanied the detonation team to Nanpohnmall to investigate the five hundred pound bomb. Luckily it had already been defused and was lying on the ground nextto a newly planted yam ten feet away from a private residence. After cleaning out its ha?.ardous contents they removed it to its present loca­tion outside the Department of Land's Office

On January 25, Officer Primo from Public Safety and Mr. Lawrence guided the team to Temwen Island. After securing permission from the land owner and the Nahnmwarki of Madolenihmw to blast the two live rounds found there, they detonated them on the site after evacuating the elementary school and blocking the road to the blasting site. The two explosions took place at approximately eleven a.m.

The team arrived at the Nahnken's residence in Wone, Kitti around one o'clock in the afternoon of the same day and finding no suitable place to blast this round, reluc­tantly transported it to the dredging site at Paliapailong, Kitti. Escorted by state and municipal police vehicles, rolling at no more than five miles per hour, they arrived at the designated blasting site two hours later. The explosion took place between five and six in the evening and they were homeward bound under the moonlit sky of Pohnpei.

The detonation team departed Pohnpei on the twenty­sixth with knowledge of the multiple Japanese hand grenades sunk in the water below the Ninseitamw area in Kolonia. The leader of the team left specific instruc­tions to mention them upon the next request so that they will come prepared to dive.

National Register Sites on Pohnpei

Polmpei has numerous historically significant sites and several of these are listed in the United States National Register. Here is a list of properties on Pohnpei included.

The Catholic Bell Tower The Chief Agriculturist House The Gennan Cemetery The Japanese Hydro-electric Power Plant The Japanese Shrine The Japanese Artillery Road and Pohndollap Area The Japanese Elementmy School for Pohnpeian Children NanMadol The Sokebs Mass Grave Site 7be Spanish Wall

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HP&CA Advisory Board

On November 23, 1994 the Honorable Governor Johnny David informed new and old members of the Historic Preservation and Cultural Affairs Board of their appointment or reappointment. He in­formed them that they would be "responsible for advising the Pohnpei State Historic Preservation Officer and the Governor on the historic preserva­tion program as it is extended to Pohnpei through outside funding sources or as it is developed within Pohnpei in accordance with our history and cul­ture. The board members are: Miguel Marquez lhper Dison John Billimen Marcus Olompia (new member) Rufino Mauricio (new member) Gibson Meninzar (new member) Joanis Peter (new member)

New Year's Resolutions

As most people and organizations do at this time of the year, we at the HP&CA have been examining our performance over the last year andconsideringhowtoimprovein 1995. We would like to share with you, our readers, a brief overview of our accomplishments dur­ing 1994 and some of our plans for the New Year.

Achievements: -Completed construction and documentation. of two canoes (Mwoakilloa and Warasap) -Co-hosted a Cultural Day Festival -Continued publication of Nahlikend En Leng -Issued a grand total of 412 Historic Preserva-tion Permits -Hosted lectures on Pohnpeian history, leg­ends and traditions -Oraganized our research materials into a working research library -Staff attended a variety of trainings and con­ferences -Transfered Pohnpei Lidorkini Museum to Department of Education -Solicited and received technical assistance from Peace Corps, Japan Overseas Coopera­tion Volunteers and the University of Oregon

Resolutions: -Establish a Canoe Display Center at the U.S. Navy built building across from the Lidorkini Museum -Produce radio programs to teach legends, history and other o;ral traditions as well as to explain our goals and the importance of his­toric preservation -Improve the Public Education program -Rehabilitate the Spanish Wall -Rehabilitate the Japanese Shrine -Develop Plans and Cost Estimates for the restoration of the Japanese Weather Station Building -Carry out an Archeaology Survey of the Nukuoro Marae/Church Building site

(continued page 6)

Nahlikend En Leng p.5

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News Shorts

Ms. Clarinda Setik, Job Training and Partnership Act Trainee, joined the HP&CA on December 19, 1994 for on-the-job-training as an office clerk. Ms Roster Lemuel will supervise her six-month training.

Ms. Lolihda Nelber was promoted to Administrative Officer for the Department of Land. Her responsibili­ties as Grant Manager will be divided between Ms. Lisa R. Andon, Ms. Lerleen David and Ms. Roster Lemuel. Congratulations Loli, we'll miss you.

Ms. SeNellie Singeo resigned as the FSM National Historic Preservation Officer (RPO) on November 21, I 994. Dr. Rufino Mauricio is the Acting HPO. Her permanent replacement has yet to be named. It has been good working for her. We wish her the best.

Ms. Lisa Ranaban Andon, having completed her Peace Corps service in July of 1994, began work at the HP&CA as a full-time employee on December 12, 1994.

The History and Archaeology Division has identified 27 sites in Pohnpei for preservation and development. They have completed a proposal for the rehabilitation of the Spanish Wall in Kolonia. The proposal and a request for the necessary funds were sent to the Pacific Development and Conservation Trust in New Zealand.

Mr. Emensio Eperiam, Dr. Rufino Mauricio, and Ms. Lerleen David will attend the "Rhythms of Our Ancestors" historic preser-vation conference sponsored by the Guam Association nf Social Workers ( GASW) and the University of Guam on Guam from March 15 to l 7. As keynote speaker for the conference, Dr. Mauricio will speak on the "Survival of Oral Tradi­tions." We sincerely thank the Australian Embassy for making Ms David's participation possible by grant­ing $965 from its Head of Mission Discretionary Aid Fund towards Ms David's per diem. GASW has pro­vided her air fare and conference fees. '

Nahlikend En umg p.6

(continued from page 5)

-Establish and oversee a Pohnpei State Regis­ter of Historic Places -Secure adaquate space/location for full scale permanent display center -Develop plans for the preservation and/ or development of 25 archeaological and cul­tural sites -Documentation and teaching of disappear­ing mat weaving skills

Proceduresl\1anuellIPF In early November, the HP&CA Division received a copy of a Draft Procedures Manual for Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) for the Federated State of Micronesia (FSM). According to Ms. SeNellie P. Singeo, the then FSM National Historic Preserva-

ti on Officer, the purpose of this manual is to clarify the National Park Services requirements and poli­cies for the HPF grant process for the State Historic Preservation Offices in the FSM, and the FSM National Office. Ms. Singeo further explained that "the Manual also describes additional preserva­tion-related activities that, while not required by HPF grant program, may be desirable for well­rounded historic preservation programs. It is spe­cifically designed for use by the Historic Preserva­tion Officers of the FSM in administering historic preservation programs funded by each respective state government, assisted by the HPF," Ms. Singeo added.

In its introduction, the manual was dedicated to the late Teddy John, the first Micronesian National Historic Preservation Officer.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• This newsletter has been financed in part by the National

Nahlikend En Leng editorial staff Parks Service However the contents and opinions in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views "or policies of this agency, nor does the mention of trade names or commer-

Editors Lisa Ranahan Andon cial products constitute endorsement or recommendation of Lerleen David them.

Contributors Andolin Andreas Emensio Eperiam Rctty Lawrence Roster Lemuel Rufino Mauricio Lolita Nelber Hiroyuki Saito

The Department of Land Division of HP&CA Pohnpei State Government P.O. Box 158 Kolonia Pohnpci, Fm 96941

Regulations of the US. Department of the Interior prohibit discrimination in departmental Federally Assisted Programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or handicap. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of Federal Assistance should write lo: Director, Equal Opportunity Program, US. Department of the Interior, National Parks Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, D.C. 20013-7127.

University of Hawaii Seri a l s Dept . 2550 The Mall Honolulu , Hawaii 96822 USA