Utwe

Utwe is a Municipality in the Eastern Caroline Islands.

Alternative spellings and historic names include: Utwa, Utwec, Utsuwa, Utwec, Wiwec

Utwe is located on the island of Kosrae within the eponymous Kosrae State, in the Federated States of Micronesia.

Population, Language and Religion

The 2010 FSM Census reported a population of 983. Kosraean is the spoken language and religious affiliation is predominantly Protestant.

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), Utwe 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 Utwefell 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), Utwe fell within the Ponape 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) Utwe fell within the East Carolines Administrative Unit and then the Pohnpei 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

In the pre-contact era, Koarae was characterized by: a social hierarchy with several levels of social stratification and feudal relationship wherein lower chiefs owed tribute and service to higher chiefs (Goldman Level 3 of 3); occasional interpersonal violence (between individuals who frequently, but not always, are known to one another); one or just a few deaths per year (2 on Younger's 0-4 scale); and 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).

Present Day

Traditional chiefly authority is not exercised in contemporary Kosrae to the degree prevalence found in other parts of the FSM, such as Pohnpei or Yap.

In Kosrae, traditional leaders play no role in public sector governance. As John Haglelgam, former President of the FSM observed in his "Traditional Leaders and Governance in Micronesia" (1998), ”the Kosraean culture has been completely destroyed by western influence and the dramatic depopulation that both places experienced in the post-contact period… With the exception of Kosrae which no longer had chiefs, all of the [Micronesian State] conventions required the participation of traditional leaders in their own right."

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

Education

The Local Education Agency, or “school district” for Utwe is the Kosrae State Department of Education.