Chuukese people

The Chuukese or sometimes spelled Trukese are an Austronesian-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the island of Chuuk and its surrounding islands and atolls. They constitute 48% of the population of the Federated States of Micronesia, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in the country.

Language

Their language is Chuukese, which belongs to Trukic branch of Micronesian languages which in turn part of Malayo-Polynesian language family (which is part of a wider Austronesian language family). The language is written in a modified Latin alphabet.

Population

A 2010 census showed that the Chuukese people were the fastest growing Pacific islander people during the 2000s decade, increasing from a population of about 700 in the year 2000 to more than 4,000 at the time of the census.^[1]

Culture

Traditional marriage practices

Traditionally, before a man can consider marriage, he needed to have experience in farming, fishing, and boat construction. He also had to be able to build his own house. When he had these skills he would inform his parents that he was ready for marriage. The parents would then search for a suitable young woman to be his wife. When they had decided on a girl, the parents of a man would visit the girl's parents. They would introduce themselves at the purpose of their visit and discuss possible marriage with the girl's parents. If a marriage is agreed upon, the young man would stay with the girl's parents and the girl would reside with the young man's parents up until the wedding day. Prior to the marriage, both families would prepare a feast which would be attended by the leaders of their respective families. According to custom, the girl's family would provide enough food for the man's family and his family would do the same for the girl.

There are some possible attitudes on marriage that have been retained from the past among the Chuukese people. While both the man and woman will desire compatible sex partners in marriage, they look even more for good workers. A person incapable of work is unlikely to be successful at marriage in Chuuk. A person is well aware of the character and abilities of those in the community and selects a partner accordingly.^[2]

The Legend of Wonip

According to legend, five brothers once resided on the island of Faichuuk in Chuuk lagoon. One Day their father called all the boys to him and told them about a lost island near Faichuuk. He said that some day they should search for it. Later, after the father died, the brothers decided to look for the island and for three days they searched but could not find it. The brothers felt the father's story was not true. All with the exception of the youngest brother.

The youngest son believed the father and set sail by himself in search of the island. After travelling a short distance, he saw a huge white shark that was leading the canoe to the area of the lost island. The boy knew that the shark must be his dead father's ghost. The shark disappeared once the canoe had neared the island.

The youngest son lowered his sails and dropped anchor. He then dived deeply below the surface of the sea and found the lost island. When he returned to the surface, he boarded his canoe but found his anchor was stuck and he could not lift it. So finally, he cut the anchor rope and sailed back to his home on Faichuuk.

When he returned, he told the other brothers what had happened and early next morning they sailed off to find the island. When they arrived at the island, the oldest brother swam down and tied a rope to the island. After returning to the boat, he pulled on a rope as hard as he could but could not raise the island from the bottom. The second brother tried, and then the third and the fourth, but the result was the same - the island could not be raised from the ocean floor.

Finally, the youngest brother tugged on the rope and the island amazingly came up to the surface. At that very moment, a black bird flew overhead and called out to the brothers that the island should be called Wonip and must remain forever the property of the youngest son who had believed his father.

About a mile north of Faichuuk sits a small island all by itself. There, the descendants of the youngest brother still live. The island is still called Wonip, the name of the clan of the brothers.

References