Pohnpei
 Map of Pohnpei | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 06°54′00″N158°13′30″E/ 6.90000°N 158.22500°E |
| Archipelago | Senyavin Islands |
| Adjacent to | Pacific Ocean |
| Area | 334 km2(129 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 782 m (2566 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Nanlaud |
| Administration | |
| State | Pohnpei |
| Largest settlement | Kolonia(pop. 6,074) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 36,832 (2020) |
Pohnpei(formerly known asPonapeorAscension,fromPohnpeian:"upon (pohn) a stone altar (pei) ") is an island of theSenyavin Islandswhich are part of the largerCaroline Islandsgroup. It belongs toPohnpei State,one of the fourstatesin theFederated States of Micronesia(FSM). Major population centers on Pohnpei includePalikir,the FSM's capital, andKolonia,the capital of Pohnpei State. Pohnpei is the largest island in the FSM, with an area of 334 km2(129 sq mi), and a highest point of 782 m (2,566 ft), the most populous with 36,832 people, and the most developed single island in the FSM.
Pohnpei is home to the megaliths and ruined city ofNan Madol,built of artificial islands off the island's eastern shore beginning in the 8th or 9th century. An important archaeological site, it was declared a national historic site in 1985.
Pohnpei contains a wealth ofbiodiversity.It is one of the wettest places on Earth with annual recorded rainfall exceeding 7,600 mm (300 in)[1]each year in certain mountainous locations. It is home to the ka tree (Terminalia carolinensis) found only in Pohnpei andKosrae.[2]
Name
[edit]The namePohnpeicomes from thePohnpeian language,literally meaning "upon a stone altar". It derives from aProto-Chuukic-Pohnpeicphrase*fawo ni peiof the same meaning. Cognates in otherMicronesian languagesincludeMokilesePohnpeiandChuukeseFóónupi.[3]
Geography
[edit]
The highest point of the island isMount Nanlaudat 772 or 782 metres. Pohnpei is home to several dozen bird species including fourendemicspecies, thePohnpei lorikeet,thePohnpei fantail,thePohnpei flycatcherand thelong-billed white-eye.A fifth endemic, thePohnpei starling,is thought to have recently goneextinct.
The only land reptiles are a few species of lizard. Originally the only mammals were bats. Pigs, rats and dogs were introduced; pigs have become feral. The lagoons are rich in fish, molluscs, turtles and other marine fauna.
Climate
[edit]
Pohnpei belongs to thetropical rainforest climatezone (Köppen:Af).[4]It is one of the wettest places on Earth with an average annual recorded rainfall of 4,775 mm (188.0 in) in towns along the coast and about 7,600 mm (300 in) each year in certain mountainous locations.[5]
| Climate data for Pohnpei | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30 (86) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
31 (87) |
31 (87) |
31 (87) |
31 (87) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23 (73) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
22 (71) |
22 (71) |
22 (71) |
22 (71) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
22 (71) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 310 (12.1) |
260 (10.2) |
360 (14) |
450 (17.6) |
490 (19.4) |
420 (16.6) |
440 (17.2) |
410 (16.3) |
400 (15.9) |
410 (16.2) |
400 (15.9) |
420 (16.7) |
4,770 (187.8) |
| Source: Weatherbase[6] | |||||||||||||
History
[edit]The natives of Pohnpei, especially the 'older' generations, often refer to events in their past as having occurred, e.g., in "German times" or "before the Spaniards," which identifies the historical periods:[7]
| Period | Years |
|---|---|
| Native Period | Before 1825 |
| Pre-Spanish Period | 1825–1886 |
| Spanish Period | 1886–1899 |
| German Period | 1899–1914 |
| Japanese Period | 1914–1945 |
| US Period | 1945–1986 |
| Independence Period | Since 1986 |
Pre-colonial history
[edit]The earliest settlers were probablyLapita culturepeople from the SoutheastSolomon Islandsor theVanuatuarchipelago.[8]Pre-colonial history is divided into three eras:Mwehin KawaorMwehin Aramas(Period of Building, or Period of Peopling, beforec. 1100);Mwehin Sau Deleur(Period of theLord of Deleur,c. 1100[9]toc. 1628);[note 1]andMwehinNahnmwarki(Period of the Nahnmwarki,c. 1628toc. 1885).[10][13]Pohnpeian legend recounts that the Saudeleur rulers, the first to bring government to Pohnpei, were of foreign origin. The Saudeleur centralized form of absolute rule is characterized in Pohnpeian legend as becoming increasingly oppressive over several generations. Arbitrary and onerous demands, as well as a reputation for offending Pohnpeian deities, sowed resentment amongPohnpeians.The Saudeleur Dynasty ended with the invasion ofIsokelekel,another semi-mythical foreigner, who replaced the Saudeleur rule with the more decentralizednahnmwarkisystem in existence today.[7][15][16]
Pohnpeian historic society was highly structured into five tribes, various clans and sub-clans; each tribe headed by two principal chiefs. The tribes were organized on a feudal basis. In theory, "all land belonged to the chiefs, who received regular tribute and whose rule was absolute." Punishments administered by chiefs included death and banishment. Tribal wars included looting, destruction of houses and canoes and killing of prisoners.[7]Pre-Spanish population estimates are deemed unreliable.[7]
Earliest European contacts
[edit]Pohnpei's first European visitor was Spanish navigatorÁlvaro de Saavedraon 14 September 1529 shortly before his death, when trying to find the way back toNew Spain.[17]He charted it asSan Bartoloméand called this one and the surrounding islands asLos Pintados(literally, "the painted ones" in Spanish) because the natives were frequently tattooed. It was later visited by the navigatorPedro Fernandes de Queirós,commanding the Spanish shipSan Jeronimo.[7]on 23 December 1595; his description is brief, he made no attempt to land.[18]
19th-century visitors
[edit]There is good documentation about Australian sailor John Henry Rowe, who arrived in his barqueJohn Bullon 10 September 1825, though he did not land as his vessel was chased off by native canoes. The first lengthy description of the island and its inhabitants is presented by the Russian explorerFyodor Litke,whose shipSenyavingave the island group of Pohnpei, Ant and Pakin its name. From 14 to 19 January 1828, his boats attempted to land but could not due to the hostility shown by the islanders, but natives then came aboard his ship, "some trading occurred, a short vocabulary was compiled, and a map made."[7]F.H. von Kittlitz, a member of the Litke expedition made a further descriptive account, including the offshore ruins ofNan Madol,and the two reports together provided the first real knowledge of Pohnpei.[7]It is not clear who the next visitors were; however, when Capt. J.H. Eagleston of the barquePerusighted the island on 3 January 1832, it was already on his charts as "Ascension Island." Riesenberg writes that it is uncertain who first called it Ascension Island, but the name became established until the Spanish period.[7]
Miscreants and missionaries
[edit]From this time onward, whaling and trading vessels came in increasing numbers. Very soon a "large colony of beachcombers, escaped convicts, and ship's deserters became established ashore," identified as "chiefly bad characters," according to the log of the Swedish frigateEugenie.[7]The first missionary to arrive was FatherLouis Désiré Maigret,a Roman Catholic priest. He had sailed from Honolulu on the schoonerNotre Dame de Paixand began his efforts in December 1837, but he departed on 29 July 1838 forValparaísoafter seven unsuccessful months.[19]In his company were "severalMangarevansandTahitians,"some of whom remained on Pohnpei and left descendants.[7]Ten years later Maigret returned to theHawaiian kingdomas Bishop of Honolulu.[19]A group of Protestant missionaries from New England established themselves permanently on Pohnpei in 1852. Their letters and journals contain a wealth of information about the island and are preserved atHarvard University.[7]
A drastic population decline occurred after 1854, due to asmallpoxepidemic.[7]
During theAmerican Civil War,to counteract the United States blockade of their ports, Confederate States Navy ships hunted Yankee merchant shipping. On 1 April 1865, theCSS Shenandoahsurprised four United States whalers at Ascension Island (Pohnpei) and destroyed them all. The local king, Nananierikie, was delighted to receive much of the spoils from this action.[20]
Spanish rule
[edit]By 1886 the Spaniards claimed the Caroline Islands which were part of theManila-basedSpanish East Indiesand began to exert political authority. They founded the citySantiago de la Ascensiónin what today isKolonia(from Spanishcoloniaor colony). The Spanish built several government buildings, a fort, a church and a school. Spanish Capuchin friars were also sent from Manila to Pohnpei to preach the Catholic faith. After the 1898Spanish–American War,theGerman Empirepurchased the Caroline island group from Spain in 1899 together with the Marianas (except Guam) and four years later the Marshall Islands for 17 milliongoldmark.
German rule and land reform
[edit]During the German administration a fundamental change in land ownership was implemented on Pohnpei and throughout the Carolines. Beginning in 1907, the feudal system, in which all land is held in fief, was gradually replaced with the issuance of individual deeds to land. The chief's economic advantages were thus reduced, and only force of tradition granted a first harvest tribute to chiefs.[7]
With land holding, taxes came due and new owners, in lieu of payment, were obliged to work 15 days per year on public projects, such as wharf construction, road building, etc. One such work for taxes engagement sparked theSokehs Rebellion.It began as an insubordination event during road construction on Sokehs Island, then escalated into the murder of nine people, the subsequent apprehension and trial of 36 Sokehs rebels, the execution of 15 insurgents, and banishment for others toBabelthuapin the German Palau Islands.
The German census of 1911–12 shows 3,190 Pohnpeians, 585 Central Carolinians and 279 Melanesians. Many of the outer islands were resettled (mainly on Sokehs Island) as a consequence of destructive typhoons in their home islands.
A special census conducted in late 1947 shows a total population of 5,628, of which 4,451 were Pohnpeians, and 1,177 were natives of other Pacific islands. By 1963, the population had grown to nearly 10,000.[7]
Japanese rule
[edit]With theTreaty of Versailles,Japan asmandatory powerassumed control of all German colonial possessions north of the equator, having occupied Pohnpei along with the rest of theCarolines,theMarshalls,theMarianas(except for American-ownedGuam) andKiautschou BayduringWorld War I.In subsequent years and duringWorld War IIthe Japanese garrison strength was composed of about 2,000 men of theIJNunder Captain Jun Naito and 5,984IJAmen under Lieutenant General Masao Watanabe.[21]However, Pohnpei was bypassed by theUnited States Navyduring theisland-hoppingamphibious campaigns of 1943–1945.[21]
The island was shelled on several occasions, including by the battleshipsUSSMassachusetts,USSAlabama,andUSSIowa,as well as air attacks launched fromUSSCowpens.After the war, Japanese nationals were repatriated to Japan by the US Navy.
United States administration, under United Nations oversight
[edit]The Federated States of Micronesia achieved independence in 1986 after being administered by the United States under UN auspices since 1947 as part of theTrust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Demographics
[edit]The population of the state in 2010 was approximately 36,196. While the majority of the population consider themselves ethnic Pohnpeians, Pohnpei is moreethnically diversethan any other island in the FSM. This is largely due to more than a century of foreign colonial occupation, bringing in Spanish, German, Japanese,Chamorro,Filipino,US, Australian, other western Europeans, and it being home to the capital of thenational government,which employs hundreds of people from the other three FSM States (Yap,Chuuk,Kosrae) having distinct ethnic and cultural origins. Theindigenousmakeup also includes the multiple regional ethnicities of the outer islands within Pohnpei State, resulting in a mix of Australasian Pacific Islanders and hence making Pohnpei Island the FSM'smelting pot.
Languages
[edit]
ThePohnpeian language(formerly called "Ponapean" ) and its dialects are the indigenous languages of Pohnpei. TheFederated States of Micronesiagovernment also uses Pohnpeian as aregional language. English and Spanish are spoken in the island.
Administrative divisions
[edit]
The municipalities on the island of Pohnpei are:
- Kitti,southwest. IncludesAnt Atoll
- Kolonia,north
- Madolenihmw,east
- Nett(main island, north/center, formerly including state capitalKoloniaon the north coast)
- Sokehs,northwest. Also includesPakin AtollandPalikir,the national capital
- U,northeast
Transportation
[edit]
Pohnpei International Airport(IATAcodePNI) is located nearKolonia,on a small island named Deketik off the northern coast of the main island.
Sport
[edit]The FSM is part of the international Olympic movement, originally the work of James Tobin, who now sits on the IOC Executive Board, sending teams to the summer games beginning in 2000 with the Sydney games and continuing every four years to the present with athletes participating in track and field, swimming and weightlifting. The most notable Pohnpeian athlete is marathon runnerElias Rodriguezwho ran for the FSM at theSydney Olympics.Rodriguez finished last in the marathon but was cheered on by tens of thousands of spectators and watched by millions of television viewers as he entered the Olympic stadium for a final lap immediately prior to theclosing ceremonywhich was delayed to allow his finish.[22]
Pohnpei's state football team were coached by the world's youngest national football coach, the EnglishmanPaul Watson,who led the team on a tour of nearby Guam, winning one match against a local team.[23]The annualMicronesian Futsal Cuphas been established on the island, also the work of Watson.
Pohnpei in fiction
[edit]Pohnpei (as Ponape) plays a role in several stories of theCthulhu MythosbyH. P. Lovecraftand others. Its role in "Out of the Aeons",[24]by Lovecraft andHazel Heald,was inspired by the ruins ofNan Madol(see above), which had already been used as the setting for alost racestory byAbraham Merritt,The Moon Pool,in which the islands are called Nan-Matal.[note 2]
Pohnpei is a central location inSouth Sea Adventure(1952), the second ofWillard Price's Young Adult Adventure Series books featuring Hal and Roger Hunt.[citation needed][25]
Pohnpei, or "Ponape" as it is spelled, is stated as the home island of "Mike" on the popular blogDunce Upon A Time,authored by BC Woods.[26]
Education
[edit]Pohnpei State Department of Educationoperates public schools.
Public high schools:[27]
- Nanpei Memorial High Schoola.k.a. Kitti High School
- Madolenihmw High School
- Pohnpei Island Central School (former Pacific Island Central School) inNett
Private schools:
- Calvary Christian Academyin Kolonia[27]
- Ohwa Christian High Schoolin Madolenihmw[27]
- Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High Schoolin Kolonia[28]
- Seventh Day Adventist High Schoolin Nett[27]
Pohnpei Catholic School
Post Secondary Education:
- College of Micronesia-FSM,which has a state campus in each of the four states with its national campus in the capital city of Palikir. The COM-FSM system also includes the Fisheries and Maritime Institute (FMI) on the Yap islands.
Lidorkini Museumwas located in Kolonia, until its closure in 2012.[29]
Notable residents
[edit]- Debra Daniel– Olympic swimmer
- Iris Falcam– Librarian and former First Lady of Micronesia
- Leo Falcam– Former President of Micronesia
- Kerson Hadley– Olympic swimmer
- Emelihter Kihleng– Poet
- Bailey Olter– Former President of Micronesia
- Elias Rodriguez– Olympic marathon runner
- Mihter Wendolin– Olympic sprinter
Gallery
[edit]-
Flag of Pohnpei -
Pwusehn Malek (also known asChickenshitMountain) in Pohnpei -
Pohnpei lorikeet -
Pohnpei flycatcher -
Pohnpei Airport -
Petroglyphs
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^The Saudeleur era lasted around 500 years.[10]Legend generally dates their downfall to the 1500s,[11]however, archaeologists date Saudeleur ruins toc. 1628.[12][13][14]
- ^"they had set forth for the Nan-Matal, that extraordinary group of island ruins clustered along the eastern shore of Ponape in the Carolines"
References
[edit]- ^"Rainfall Climatology for Pohnpei Islands, Federated States of".Archivedfrom the original on 21 February 2022.Retrieved3 March2022.
- ^Nature ConservancyMagazineFebruary / March 2015 page 36
- ^Bender, Byron W. (2003). "Proto-Micronesian Reconstructions: 2".Oceanic Linguistics.42(2): 271–281.doi:10.1353/ol.2003.0014.S2CID201778237.
- ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 8 November 2014.Retrieved16 January2015.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 March 2016.Retrieved8 November2014.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Pohnapei, Federated States of Micronesia".Weatherbase. 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 24 March 2020.Retrieved24 November2011.
- ^abcdefghijklmnRiesenberg, Saul H (1968).The Native Polity of Ponape.Contributions to Anthropology. Vol. 10. Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 38, 51.ISBN9780598442437.Retrieved1 January2012.
- ^McCoy, Mark D.; Alderson, Helen A.; Hemi, Richard; Cheng, Hai; Edwards, R. Lawrence (November 2016)."Earliest direct evidence of monument building at the archaeological site of Nan Madol (Pohnpei, Micronesia) identified using 230Th/U coral dating and geochemical sourcing of megalithic architectural stone".Quaternary Research.86(3): 295–303.Bibcode:2016QuRes..86..295M.doi:10.1016/j.yqres.2016.08.002.
- ^Flood, Bo; Strong, Beret E.; Flood, William (2002).Micronesian Legends.Bess Press. pp. 145–7, 160.ISBN1-57306-129-8.Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2022.Retrieved1 January2012.
- ^abHanlon, David L (1988).Upon a Stone Altar: A History of the Island of Pohnpei to 1890.Pacific Islands Monograph. Vol. 5. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 13–25.ISBN0-8248-1124-0.Retrieved1 January2012.
- ^Cordy, Ross H (1993).The Lelu Stone Ruins (Kosrae, Micronesia): 1978–81 Historical and Archaeological Research.Asian and Pacific Archaeology. Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawaii at Manoa. pp. 14, 254, 258.ISBN0-8248-1134-8.Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2022.Retrieved31 December2011.
- ^Morgan, William N (1988).Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia.University of Texas Press. pp. 60, 63, 76, 85.ISBN0-292-76506-1.Retrieved31 December2011.
- ^abPanholzer, Tom; Rufino, Mauricio (2003).Place Names of Pohnpei Island: Including And (Ant) and Pakin Atolls.Bess Press. pp. xiii, xii, 101.ISBN1-57306-166-2.Retrieved31 December2011.
- ^Micronesica.University of Guam. 1990. pp. 92, 203, 277.Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2022.Retrieved31 December2011.
- ^Ballinger, Bill Sanborn (1978).Lost City of Stone: The Story of Nan Madol, the "Atlantis" of the Pacific.Simon and Schuster. pp. 45–8.ISBN0-671-24030-7.Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2022.Retrieved31 December2011.
- ^Petersen, Glenn (1990)."Isokelekel"(PDF).Lost in the Weeds: Theme and Variation in Pohnpei Political Mythology.Occasional Papers. Center for Pacific Islands Studies, School of Hawaiian, Asian & Pacific Studies, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. pp. 34 et seq.hdl:10125/15545.OP35.Archived(PDF)from the original on 27 January 2012.Retrieved31 December2011.
- ^Brand, Donald D.,The Pacific Basin: A History of its Geographical Explorations,The American Geographical Society, New York, 1967, p.137
- ^Coello, Francisco "Conflicto hispano-alemán"Boletín de Sociedad Geográfica de Madrid,t.XIX. 2º semestre 1885, Madrid, pp.244,245,294,296
- ^abBunson, Maggie.Faith in Paradise.Boston: St. Paul Publishing. 1977, pp. 43, 65
- ^CSS Shenandoah,Lieutenant James I Waddell, Annapolis 1960, pages 144-155
- ^abTakizawa, Akira; Alsleben, Allan (1999–2000)."Japanese garrisons on the by-passed Pacific Islands 1944–1945".Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.Archivedfrom the original on 6 January 2016.
- ^Pucin, Diane (2 October 2000)."G'Bye, Mates".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on 2 September 2017.
- ^name= "FIFA20131223" >"Micronesia to Mongolia: A coaching quest".FIFA.23 December 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 23 December 2013.Retrieved18 January2024.
- ^Lovecraft, H.P."Out of the Aeons".Archivedfrom the original on 25 July 2014.Retrieved16 July2014.
- ^""south sea adventure" in a sentence – south sea adventure sentence examples – ichacha.net sentence maker ".eng.ichacha.net.Archivedfrom the original on 23 February 2018.Retrieved22 February2018.
- ^"The Micronesian Elvis".Dunce Upon A Time. 30 August 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 2 December 2008.Retrieved17 August2009.
- ^abcd"Higher Education in the Federated States of MicronesiaArchived14 October 2017 at theWayback Machine."Embassy of the Federated States of Micronesia Washington DC. Retrieved on 23 February 2018.
- ^"Come Visit UsArchived23 February 2018 at theWayback Machine."Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School.Retrieved on 23 February 2018. "The school is located on the Catholic Mission in Kolonia near the Spanish Wall"
- ^"Green Travel Guide to Micronesia – How to Visit Sustainably".ecofriendlytravels.Archivedfrom the original on 16 July 2021.Retrieved16 July2021.
Further reading
[edit]- The Island of the Colour-blind,Oliver Sacks, Publisher: Pan Macmillan (6 June 1997), paperback,ISBN0-330-35234-2.
- Pohnpei, an Island Argosy,Gene Ashby, Publisher: Rainy Day Pr West; Revised edition (June 1987), paperback,ISBN978-0-931742-14-9
- Nest in the Wind: Adventures in anthropology on a tropical island,Martha C Ward, Publisher: Waveland Press Inc. (1989), paperback,ISBN0-88133-405-7
- Thomas Morlang:Rebellion in der Südsee. Der Aufstand auf Ponape gegen die deutschen Kolonialherren 1910-1911,Christoph Links Verlag, Berlin, GermanyISBN9783861536048
- David Childress. "The Lost City of the Pacific".Omega Science Digest(March 1986), pp. 48–55, 121.
External links
[edit]
- POHNPEI, un estado marítimo-insular en el Océano Pacífico. 1.(in Spanish)
- POHNPEI, uno de los cinco estados que integran la FSM. 2.(in Spanish)
- POHNPEI (Islas Carolinas orientales). 3º parte.(in Spanish)
- Los atolones occidentales de Pohnpei (Estados Federados de Micronesia). 4ª parte.(in Spanish)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
