Nema

Nema is an island in the Central Caroline Islands.

Alternative spellings and historic names include: D’Urville, Nama, Namo, Nemo, Lease, San Rafael, and D'Urville

Nema is single coral island located at 7° 0' N, 152° 35' E, 10 miles northwest of Losap and 39 miles southeast of Chuuk Lagoon. It is round in shape and about half a mile in diameter. Nema is considerably higher than most islands of its type, being about 12 feet above sea level on the average and attaining an elevation of about 20 feet in the north. The island has a fringing reef but no lagoon.

Nema is a part of the Nomoi Islands within the Outer Islands of Chuuk, a grouping that forms part of Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia.

Population, Language and Religion

The 2010 FSM Census reported a population of 676. Mortlockese is the spoken language and religious affiliation is primarily Roman Catholic, with a minority of Protestants.

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), Nema 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 Nemafell 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), Nema 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) Nema 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

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); virtually nonexistent interpersonal violence (between individuals who frequently, but not always, are known to one another); none recorded or just a few incidents per-century (0 on Younger's 0-4 scale); occasional warfare, defined as armed aggression between political communities or alliances of political communities, with wars every few years (2 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 the entire reef-lagoon system is owned by lineages or clans (Sudo Type 3).

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.”

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.Nema is represented in the FSM Congress by the Chuuk, At-Large Seat Senator, and the Chuuk, District 1 Senator.

Education

The Local Education Agency, or “school district” for Nema is the Chuuk State Department of Education and Nema falls within the Mortlocks Region.