Namonuito
Namonuito is an atoll in the Central Caroline Islands.
Alternative spellings and historic names include: Aniama, Anonimas, Anonyma, Baxos, Bunker, Bunkey, de San Bartolomeo, Las Hermanas, Livingston, Livingstone, Los Haramanes, Los Jardines, Lutke, Mamonuito, Namenwita, Namonuito, Olol, Omun, Onoune, Ororu, Remp, Ueito,
Namonuito is a large coral atoll, the northernmost in the central and eastern Carolines, is located at 80° 35' N, 150° 24' E (at the southeast end), 57 miles west of East Fayu, 58 miles north-northeast of Pollap, and 93 miles northwest of Chuuk Lagoon. It is triangular in shape, 45 miles in length (E-W), and 24 miles in breadth. Onoun (formely Ulul) islet, at the western point of the atoll, is three miles long, but the other islets, along the northeast side, are insignificant in size, The atoll is in an early stage of development and the lagoon can be entered in many places over the submerged encircling reef.
Namonuito was discovered by Alonso de Arellano, who marooned Pilot Martin and 13 mutinous sailors there in 1566; visited by the Spaniards, Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira in 1568 and Lt Juan Ibargoitia in 1801; sighted by Bunkey (Bunker?) in 1824; and visited by Russian Friedrich Benjamin Graf von Lütke in 1828.
Namonuito is located in the Northwest Islands within the Outer Islands of Chuuk, in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia.
Subunits
Islands within the atoll include: Onoun (Ulul), Ono (Bancho, Onou, Onon), Unanu (Onari), Magur (Makur), Piherararh, (Pisara, or Pisaras)
As with many placenames in Micronesia, Namonuito is a geographic 'pars pro toto', in which the name of a constitutive village, island or atoll is often used describe the larger island, atoll or island grouping in which it is the predominate member.
Population, Language and Religion
The 2010 FSM Census reported a population of 633. Namonuito is the spoken language and religious affiliation is primarily Roman Catholic, with a minority of Protestants.
A 1935 census conducted by the Japanese counted 63 natives on Unanu, 58 on Ono, 56 on Pisaras and 126 on Onoun for a total of 303 islanders, as well as a single Japanese national on Onari.
Governance
Spain laid claim to the Carolines from the time of initial discovery in the early 1500's but made no attempt to occupy or administer them. In 1885 a Governor for the Carolines was appointed by the Governor General of the Philippines and presence established in Pohnpei and Yap. In this Spanish Period (1521-1899), Namonuito fell within the Western District of the Spanish East Indies.
After the Spanish-American War, Spain sold the Palau, Caroline, and Marianas Islands to Germany in 1899. In this German Period (1899-1914), the Caroline, Palau and Mariana Islands (excluding Guam), along with the Marshalls, annexed in 1885, were titled Imperial German Pacific Protectorates. The Carolines become an administrative district of German New Guinea under direction of a vice-governor and Namonuitofell within the Eastern Caroline District.
The Carolines were seized from the Germans by the Japanese early in World War I. Despite protests from the United States, including the Yap Crisis, the Islands were in 1920 mandated to Japan by the League of Nations. In this Japanese Period (1914-1941), Namonuito fell within the Truk District of the “Nan'yō Cho” or South Seas Government.
Following liberation of the islands in the War in the Pacific, the islands were administered by the US Navy. The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was formalized by United Nations Security Council Resolution 21 in 1947. The Navy passed governing duties to the Department of the Interior in 1951. During the USN Period (1945-1947) and the TTPI Period (1947-1979) Namonuito fell within the Central Carolines Administrative Unit and then the Truk District.
The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) was established with the end of the Trust Territory. The FSM is one of three “Freely Associated States,” or “FAS” nations that entered into a Compact of Free Association or “COFA” with the US. The treaty and agreements provide economic assistance to the countries, secured US defense rights and set defense responsibilities, and allow FAS citizens to migrate to the United States.
Traditional Culture
Pre-Contact
Namonuito's social order and hierarchy was defined by Chieftainship, and the principal elements determining rank and status among kin group were based on priority of settlement; hierarchy claims refer to legends of migration from islands to the west (Sudo Type 2).
Pre-contact social order was characterized by: a social hierarchy with a strong egalitarian ethic and chief(s) with highly circumscribed powers (Goldman Level 1 of 3).; very rare interpersonal violence (between individuals who frequently, but not always, are known to one another); perhaps one death per decade (1 on Younger's 0-4 scale); no recorded instance, or only a few over several centuries, of warfare, defined as armed aggression between political communities or alliances of political communities (0 on Younger's 0-4 scale).
Property rights were characterized by: a land tenure system based on matrilineal ownership and extended matrilineal usage. Children of male members use or inherit partially their father’s lineage land (Sudo, Type 1). The landowning unit is rigidly arranged by descent principle and the residential unit is a large matri-extended family based on matri- local residence. Married-out male lineage members have obligations to pass on some lands or use-right to their children. This custom of land-gifts func- tions to keep a balance between group population and food resources.; a system of sea tenure in which particular areas of reef and lagoon are owned by lineages, clans or other similar units (Sudo Type 2)
Present Day
Traditional chiefly authority is exercised by the Island or sub-island level chiefs (Clan).
In Chuuk, traditional leaders play a negligible, informal role in public sector governance. As John Haglelgam, former President of the FSM observed in his "Traditional Leaders and Governance in Micronesia" (1998), ”in Chuuk, the traditional chiefs have little influence on the governance and politics of the state. Traditionally, the basic political power in Chuuk was, and still is, the head of the lineage.....A candidate who garners enough support from the lineage heads usually wins. This reduces the influence of the traditional chiefs on voting in Chuuk. It has also polarized and fragmented politics in Chuuk and prevented the emergence of consensus among state leaders. These problems make governance difficult and utterly chaotic.”
Japanese Period
During the Japanese Period, the Nanyo Boeki Kaisha conducted three voyages a year between Chuuk Lagoon and the Hall Islands, calling at Houk, Polowat, Pollap, and Namonuito, a trip of 465 miles covered in 6 days. The firm also maintained a trading station on Onoun (formely Ulul).
The Etscheit brothers, Charles and Leo, were Belgians with extensive land holdings in Pohnpei, Chuuk Lagoon, and Namonuito, on which they owned copra plantations during the Japanese Period. Both lived in Colonia, on Pohnpei, as did their widowed mother her three daughters.
Electoral Divisions
The legislative branch of the Federated States of Micronesia is unicameral. Two types of Senators are elected: at-large senators, one for each of the four states, who serve four-year terms, and population-based senators, representing specific constituencies, who serve two-year terms. The President of Micronesia is elected by the Congress from amongst the four at-large senators, after which a special election is held to (re)fill that seat.Namonuito is represented in the FSM Congress by the Chuuk, At-Large Seat Senator, and the Chuuk, District 5 Senator.
Education
The Local Education Agency, or “school district” for Namonuito is the Chuuk State Department of Education and Namonuito falls within the Northwest Region.
Runway
Onoun Civil Airfield is located in Chuuk State on Onoun Island, also known as Ulul, at the southwestern corner of Namonuito Atoll, roughly 168 miles (270 km) northwest of Chuuk International Airport and 135 miles (217 km) north of Houk. It is currently served by Caroline Islands Air. The runway is 1,200 by 75 feet of chipseal (asphalt over fine aggregate).
