 Nukuoro from space. CourtesyNASA | |
 Map of Nukuoro (without western rim) | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Total islands | 40 |
| Area | 40 km2 (15 sq mi) |
| Length | 6 km (3.7 mi) |
| Administration | |
Federated States of Micronesia | |
| State | Pohnpei |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 372 (2007) |
| Languages | Nukuoro |
Nukuoro is anatoll in theFederated States of Micronesia. It is a municipality of thestate of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. It is the second southernmost atoll of the country, afterKapingamarangi. They both arePolynesian outliers. As of 2007[update], Nukuoro had a population of 372, though several hundred Nukuorans live onPohnpei. Fishing,animal husbandry, and agriculture (taro andcopra) are the main occupations. A recent project to farmblack pearloysters has been successful at generating additional income for the island's people.[1][2]
Nukuoro is remote. It has no airstrip, and a passenger boat calls irregularly only once every few months. The island has no tourism except for the occasional visit by passing sailing yachts. There is a 4-room schoolhouse but children over the age of 14 must travel toPohnpei to attend high school.
The total area, including the lagoon, is 40 km2 (15 sq mi), with a land area of 1.7 km2 (0.66 sq mi), which is divided among more than 40 islets that lie on the northern, eastern, and southern sides of the lagoon. By far the largest islet isNukuoro Islet, which is the center of population and the capital of the municipality. The lagoon is 6 km (3.7 mi) in diameter.
Traversable by foot during low tide, the islets of Nukuoro (calledmodu) are separated by narrow waterways during high tide. Thesemodu form a chain that is perceived by residents as starting from the southwestern terminus (ngage "the front") to the northwestern terminus (ngaiho "the back"), in a counterclockwise direction. Direction when traveling along the atoll is relative and is determined by the terminus one is moving towards (i.e., one is 'goingngage' when moving away fromngaiho, and vice versa). This is true no matter which side of the atoll one is proceeding on. The largest islet, Nukuoro, which gives its name to the atoll, also affects direction on the atoll: when traveling towards Nukuoro, one is said to be 'goinghale' ("home"), rather than 'goingngage/ngaiho.'[3]
The lagoon itself also serves as a reference point to determine relative direction. Movement towards the lagoon, the center of the atoll, is calledi dai ("on the water"), while movement outwards in the direction of the open ocean is calledi dua ("on the back").[3]
The inhabitants speakNukuoro, which is aPolynesian language related toKapingamarangi,Rennellese andPileni languages. Nukuoro andKapingamarangi constitute parts of the "Polynesian outlier" cultures, lying well outside thePolynesian Triangle.
A sizable proportion of the Nukuoro population have relocated from the atoll in recent years, withdiaspora communities throughoutMicronesia, theUnited States, and elsewhere in the world, but especially on the island ofPohnpei, to which there is continuous migration today. While about half of residents on the Nukuoro atoll are monolingual inNukuoro, members of the speech community residing on Pohnpei are more commonly multilingual, with most speakingPohnpeian,English, or both, in addition to Nukuoro.[4]
According to oral tradition, the atoll was first settled by migrants originating fromSamoa, led by a man named Vave, who remains an important figure in Nukuoro culture.[4]
In general,Polynesian Outlier communities are thought to have been established after the settlement ofPolynesia proper, as a result of backwash migrations and drift voyages.[5] Linguistic and folkloric evidence is consistent with this view: the Nukuoro language is closely related to Samoan, and the oral tradition describes the settlement of Nukuoro Atoll by a group of Samoans led by Vave, the son of a king from theManu'a islands inSamoa.[4] However, archaeological evidence suggests that Nukuoro Atoll has been continuously occupied since at least the ninth century A.D., with no clear evidence of cultural replacement and no unambiguously Polynesian artifacts.[6]
What is known of the history of Nukuoro Atoll prior to European contact comes from the oral tradition, and narratives have occasionally been recorded and published by Western visitors.[4][7][8] After the initial Samoan settlement of the island, the history of the atoll is punctuated by visitors from other Micronesian islands, includingYap,Chuuk, theMortlock Islands, theMarshall Islands, theGilbert Islands,Fiji, andPalau.[7]
The first sighting recorded by Europeans was by Spanish naval officerJuan Bautista Monteverde on 18 February 1806 commanding thefrigateSan Rafael of theRoyal Company of the Philippines. They have therefore appeared in the maps as theMonteverde Islands for a long time.[9][10][11]
%2c_Nukuoro_Atoll%2c_Honolulu_Museum_of_Art%2c_4752.JPG)
Nukuoro is famous for its carved deity sculptures, which are known astino aitu sculptures. The statues represent gods and deified ancestors who are associated with the five Nukuoro family groups:sekave, seala, sehege, sehena, andseolo. Traditionally, the figurines were placed in themalae (temple), as well as in the home, to protect their inhabitants from bad fortune and ill-wishing spirits. They were often given food as sacrificial offerings on major festive occasions, and were ritually clothed or adorned with flowers.[12]
The sculptures, which range in size from 30 to 215 cm, are carved from breadfruit wood using local adzes equipped with eitherTridacna shell blades or western metal blades. The surfaces were smoothed with pumice.[13] They are known for their ovoid heads, faint or blank facial features, sloping shoulders, and geometric chests, buttocks, and legs. The chests of the figurines are typically indicated with a simple line, though some female figurines have rudimentary breasts. Some figurines are carved with tattoos.[7]
Today, 37 Nukuoro sculptures are housed in museums and private collections around the globe, with many of the statues located in German and Hawai'ian museums.[7] At least nine of these sculptures were collected byJohann Stanislaus Kubary, a Polish naturalist and ethnographer who visited the atoll in 1873 and 1877 as a collector for theMuseum Godeffroy in Hamburg.[7] An additional three sculptures were collected by Carl Jeschke, a German ship captain who visited first in 1904 and then more regularly between 1910 and 1913.[7]
3°50′54″N154°56′27″E / 3.84833°N 154.94083°E /3.84833; 154.94083
