Satawal

Satawal is a low coral island in the Western Caroline Islands.

Alternative spellings and historic names include: Sasaon, Satahoal, Satoan, Satowalairak, Satual, Seteoel, Setushal, and Tucker

Satawal is a single coral island is located at 7° 21' N, 147° 02' E, 47 miles south-southeast of Piagailoe and 39 miles east of Lamotrek. It is slightly more than a mile in length (NE-SW) and about half amile in width, and is encircled by a fringing reef. Satawal is slightly higher than the usual coral island; a ridge about eight feet high traverses the island from north to south. The eastern part is stony and covered with bush and coconut palms; the west is thickly wooded. In the center of the island is a fresh-water pond, said to be of artificial origin, with a diaiaster of about 33 feet.

The island was discovered by James Wilson in 1797.

Satawal is among Outer Islands of Yap within Yap State, part of the Federated States of Micronesia.

Subunits

Traditionally, natives of Satawal have lived in three villages: Lugaloo, Afan, and Jor, located in the middle of the western shore of the island, above the steep slope. Only the canoe houses stand on the beach below.

Satawal owns neighboring Piagailoe, often called West Fayu.

Population, Language and Religion

The 2010 FSM Census reported a population of 501. Satawalese is the spoken language and religious affiliation is predominantly Roman Catholic.

A 1935 count of the population by the Japanese identified 287 residents and three Japanese Nationals.

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), Satawal 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 Satawalfell 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), Satawal fell within the Yap 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) Satawal fell within the Yap Administrative Unit and then the .

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

Satawal was part of the "Yap-Ulithi-"Woleai" chain of authority and the related "Sawei" Yap/Outer Island Trade and Tribute Network (sometimes called the "Yap Empire”). Satawal was also part of the Sayiniké; Lamotrek/Satawal/Elato Exchange System ("Tribute")

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); frequent warfare, defined as armed aggression between political communities or alliances of political communities, with wars every few years but not continuous (3 on Younger's 0-4 scale).

Property rights were characterized by a system of sea tenure in which a reef and lagoon is owned by all islanders or villages but is controlled by a chief (Sudo Type 1).

Present Day

Traditional chiefly authority is exercised by the Council of Tamol.

In Yap, traditional leaders have a role in governnance that enshrines them as a "Fourth Branch." As John Haglelgam, former President of the FSM observed in his "Traditional Leaders and Governance in Micronesia" (1998), “in Yap, the traditional leaders have formal roles in the government. The Yap state constitution created two councils of chiefs: one for the main islands of Yap and one for the outer island chiefs. These councils are empowered to review and disapprove an act of the state legislature if it violates custom and tradition… The legislature cannot override the veto of these councils but can incorporate their objection in the bill and return it for their review. So far. the councils have used their power sparingly. The councils have also expanded their power to review policy of the executive branch which has forced the governor and his cabinet to justify their policy to the councils… The two councils are in essence public watchdogs, making sure that elected officials and bureaucrats are doing their job.“

Foreign Commerce

In 1893 the German Godeffroy Company extended it's copra operations to Ulithi, Ifalik, Lamotrek, Satawal, and Woleai, seven years after Pope Leo XIII awarded Yap and the Caroline Islands to Spain, but granted Germany and other nations commercial rights.

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. Satawal is represented in the FSM Congress by the Yap, At-Large Seat Senator, and the Yap, Sole Population-Based District Senator.

Since the establishment of the FSM, Yap State voters have elected and maintained in Congress one Yapese Senator and one Outer Island Senator. This de facto power-sharing arrangement is similar to the requirement in the Yap's State Constitution stating "if the Governor is a resident of Yap Islands Proper, the Lieutenant Governor shall be a resident of the Outer Islands, and if the Governor is a resident of the Outer Islands, the Lieutenant Governor shall be a resident of Yap Islands Proper."

Education

The Local Education Agency, or “school district” for Satawal is the Yap State Department of Education and Satawal falls within the Satawal Zone.

Texts Dealing with Satawal

Fosberg, F. Raymond. 1969. “Plants of Satawal Island, Caroline Islands.” Atoll Research Bulletin 132: 1–13. doi:10.5479/si.00775630.132.1.

Roddy, Kevin M. 2007. “A Sketch Grammar Of Satawalese, The Language Of Satawal Island, Yap State, Micronesia.”

Youn, Sung. 2019. “The Copra Dealer of the South Sea Islands: A Korean Named Hwang Yeongsam and Hijikata Hisakatsu.” South Pacific Studies 40(1).