It has been determined by
archeological finds that the lagoon islands of Chuuk have been inhabited
approximately 2,000 years. Legends refer to the first inhabitants as coming
from the nearby islands of Kosrae. Initially coast-dwellers, over time these settlers
moved up the hillsides to the mountain tops, most likely for a better defensive
position.
Early Chuukese society was
formed into matrilineal clans and governed by chiefs. Within a clan there were
three classes. The highest class, of course being the chief, second the chief’s
relatives, and then the common or lower-class people. Your societal level was
determined at birth. Individual rights were pretty much non-existent. The chief
had control over the land and what was grown on it, all the clan’s movable
personal property, food and marriages. This was the core of the Chuukese
culture.
There was never a single
island chief. Large, solitary clans formed villages and alliances were only
made in time of war. It was only on rare occasion that the entire island would
join forces to fight a common enemy. At the end of the fight, the clans would
once again go their separate ways.
The pre-European clan
lineage thus formed the heart of the Chuukese family unit. Chuukese culture believes in the strong bond
between immediate and extended family members. Family consists of the father,
mother, their offspring, the grandparents, aunts, uncles and first cousins.
Like many cultures, the father is the head of the household. When he passes
away, the first-born male child takes over the responsibilities. Their heritage
is passed down from generation to generation orally with traditional stories,
music and dance.
Chuukese have deep belief
in the spiritual, including ghosts and the use of magic. An example of this
might be the traditional tepwanu mask. These masks were generally not worn, but rather were put on posts around
a home or village for protection from what might best be described as
"evil spirits" or "malevolent ghosts".
“The story of the Devil
Mask originates from a long time ago. On the island of Tol, there lived a
legendary ghost that kept stealing food from the starving people. As a result,
the people decided to carve a devil mask to scare the ghost away. Later on, it
happened in such a way that all the people came together and wore the mask.
When the ghost came to their place to steal food, it saw devils surrounding the
area. The ghost got scared, ran away, and never came back.”[1]
“In the
early 1980s, the Chuuk State Office of Historic Preservation conducted a series
of surveys on Moen (Weno) Island,
the most modernised of islands in the lagoon (Chuuk State Historic Preservation
Office 1980a, 1980b, 1980c; Cordy 1980). In the Tunuuk area, as noted above, a
site named Neoset was recorded but not surveyed. The survey team did not visit
this site as it is regarded as “dangerous” due to the presence of “their [the
Tunuuk villagers] ancestral ghost who protected Tunuuk from invaders or
enemies” (Chuuk State Historic Preservation Office 1980a). Further interviews
by the team with two local people established that the hilltop site was used in
the past as a place of refuge for women and children during wars (Chuuk State
Historic Preservation Office 1980a). In their survey of the Winipis area of Moen,
the survey team also encountered another site named Neoset. This site was also
considered by the local informants to be dangerous. The team was told that some
Japanese officials and Chuukese died after visiting the site. They were also
told that the site was originally occupied by three brave warriors named
Ikeninis, Awenewn and Konopwa who “lived here to guard the Chief… from…
neighbouring enemies [and] they led [the] people of Winipis in the time [of]
war” (Chuuk State Historic Preservation Office 1980b).”[2]
This was a basic
subsistence economy derived from the cultivation of tree crops such as
breadfruit, banana, coconut, and citrus, as well as root crops such as taro and
yam, supplemented by fishing. Sharing, communal work, and the offering of
tributes to your chief are the fundamental building blocks to a subsistence
economic system and the Chuukese culture. Small scale agriculture and various
traditional fishing practices continue today.
WHAT ARE “WUUTS”?
Many of the islands
within the Chuuk Lagoon are steep-sloped volcanic peaks. In fact, the word “chuuk”
translates to mean hill or mountain. Evidence of early inhabitants’ migration
up these slopes can be found in the large basalt platforms that remain. It is
assumed that these platforms are the base of what used to be community meeting
houses called “wuuts”.
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