Place Names on Nukuoro Atoll

Home , Nukuoro

ATOLL RESEARCH BUUETII?

Issued by

TI-IE PACIFIC SCLENCE BOARD

National Academy of Sciences--National Research Council

Washington, D. C.

September 30, 1954 Place names on Nukuoro Atoll

Vern Carroll12/

I. Island names and atoll building in hkuoro

Nukuoro Atoll (Ponape District, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) is a nearly circular atoll with a deep central lagoon and a nearly unbroken fringing reef meraging one third of a mile in width. From thz Northwest in a cloclcwiss direction around to the Southwest, range a series of mod&, or small islands (see map). At low tide it is usually possible to walk from one to another without getting wet; at high tide, the modu- are separated by narrow watercourses. !dhen the tids is coaing in or out, these are swiftly moving.

EtymoZogically modu means something ' termina.ted' . In this case it is the land above the high water ley~el,on which grows a typical atoll vegetation, which is broken by sand, coral and sometimes water.

The present disposition of the forty-six modu in Nukuoro atoll is thought by the inhabitants to have persisted for a long time: people are mare cf only a fel?~mlnor chnges in the atoll topogrnphy. Careful research, howev?r, has uncovered evidence of greater chaage than is popularly recognized. !There is also considerable evidence that some of these changes represent accretions to the atoll in the form of whole islands built by the hand of man. Since atoll-building is not generally thought of as comprising part of the technical resources avzilable to the inhabitants of insular Oceania, this evidence is thought to be significant. The mode of research into this matter which we have employed is also thought to represent a useful method which nisht produce comparable res~ltselsewhere.

Our first indication of the existence of extra n~unesfor modu, in addition to those narms which we had coll~ctedfor the modu now visible, came with our recording of a E, or mnemonic (see below), for modu which was difficult to relate to t5e present disposition of the atoll. Clearly the -mou listed the modu names in order - beginning t~iththe -modu in the extreme Southwest of the atoll and proceeding in a counter- clockwise direction to the terminal _modu in the Northwest. Thus it was possible to use those names for contemporary & which coincided with names in the mou as reference points from which to zero-in on the confusing disgarities. In some cases, a synonym was found for a current name which coiccided with the ilnme; in some cases 'there were several names where a single COGnow exists; in other cases a mddu is now present, although it is not mentioned in the E.

1/ University of Chicago.

Spelling in the ac~eptedNu!moro orthogra~hyof the wel.1-horn Polynesian word 9. Where it appeared that a single modu had been formed from smaller ones, geological reconnaissance usually demonstrated the former existence of channels in the form of wide sandy swaths extending continuously below the topsoil from the lagoon side of the atoll to the sea side. Often place names for arts of the island (of which there are a very great number-a matter to be covered in a subseauent paper) coincided with the relevant modu names in the z.x cadastral survey also showed that these former channels were invariably plot boundaries-contrast- ing in their irregularity with norma.1 straight land boundaries. sach of the older atoll inhabitants was able to cite one or two cases of such processes; eventually every suspected case was confirmed in one or more traditional stories collected from these people.

It might seem strange that a ilrnnemonic" for the names of the modu in an atoll could have so long resisted being changed to accord with the contemporary facts. But this appesrs to have been precisely the case. These E, of which there are a consid-erable number-covering the nzrnes for different kinds of sea life, plants, varieties of pandanus, names of priests, birth order of people born into the community during a certain span of time, etc.-are considered somewhat esoteric; one seeks out one of the 'old peoplet who knows such things usually only late in one's own life- time-to equip oneself with the knowledge to assume one's role as one of the 'old people' . The mou gives only one or two syllables from each of the complete names which it incorporates, so it is not immediately apparent to the inc~lriousthat a contradiction exists between the abbreviated name and that thing it represents. Few people who have learned these mou make an effort to relate them to the entities they are supposed to represent. It is, after all, only the knowledge of the -mou which counts- -not its implications. Thus it is really not, properly spetilci.ng,.a 'mnemonic' ; it is a token for the kind of systematic lcnowleclge which is prized. as an emblem of status, without much contributing to that knowledge. Where such devices occur, they might be exploited in the way in which we have done here to provide some historical perspective on geography. The fact that they do not change with the times is for the historian a blessing. The fieldworker is warned, howevzr, that some individuals -do compare their mou to the contemporary names, or compare their mou to those of other people-the mou thereby becoming corrupt through alteration. Only the collection of a large number of mou and traditional stories supplemented by on-site inspection can be expected to produce satisfying resilts.

For modu which a2penr on the map but not in the E, we found that these either represented a division of one island into several following a severe storrn-a fact which was handed down from one generation to the next as a matter of oral history-or had been ttpurposely left out of the mou because they were not netural islands but islands made by men". In general, the method of malcing a modu appears to have been the accumu- lation of hunks of loose coral relatively close to the lagoon side of a wide portion 3f reef, letting the sea wash up sandy fill, and then planting trees and shrubs in this soil to consolidate it (perhaps using vegetable m.,tter from elsewhere to enrich the soil). An island made in this way became the exclusive property of the man or family that made it. One suspects that the process would take at least several generations. To this day the islands which are claimed to have been recently built up in this way are owned by a single individual or fmily-in contrast to the overwhslming majority of modu, in which a great number of families have interests. This contrast is illuminate2 further by the suggestion that ' ownership' on this atoll derives ultimately from the person who made a piece of land productive. Before the advent of the copra trade, one suspects that a great deal of available land on other EIO was not exploited-lazzd closer to one's residence providing aqle sustenance. ?knd on the main island (i\i~l.laoro?,which is used for building sites ad the raising of coconuts for eating and drinking, anc! lmd in the six taro patches (t7vo on the main island and four on nemby islands) has long been at a prmiuin axd is highly fractionated between Gae various families. Land in other modu is similarly divided -most probably re2resentin; earlier situation in which the preserlt owner's ancestor brousht a piece of it under cultivation for subsis- tance purposes, or clear~da house site [although houses are presently concentrated in a villaze on the main island, there was formerly con- sidcr~~bleoccup~~tion of other rnoclu, which in certain seasons provided a more convenient bzse frorii which to collect and dry the fish which wsre eaten at other ti!:les of the year when the fishing was poorer].

The affinity of native ideas about ovinership with those about productive use is illustratecl by a story that reco~mtsa land dispute betwen a Nukuoro man and someone ~hohad arrived not long before from another isla~d. It is recounted that they decided the issue between then by each planting a tree, with the understanding thst the one whose tree grew up strong would henceforth have undisputed title to the island. The inter- loper's tree flourished and his opponent quietly withdrew!

Having uficovzred several cases of island. building from the omission of names froin the mnemonic, one began to suspect sonethisig similar in the case of severid small islads, all of which are called Deahu. In contrast to the other &, these have no distinctive name-being discriminated where necessary by adding the name of the current owner. Like the modu just discussed, all of them are owned by a single individual or family. On at least some of them there is evidence of the construction of seawalls and other techniques for maintaining the integrity of the small land mass. There is a possibility that these too are made by mm, our inference here being principally philological. Other island names con- taininz the morpheme -aliu possibly reflect a si??ilarstate of afi'airs. The etymology of --dealiu is somewhat obscure. & is one kind of 'article1 like the Snglidi ' thsr ; .-- iahu is the preparation made for one kind of fire-that in which sticks, or other covibustible thins~are piled up in an oTdeYly fashion. && is not used. in Nukuoro at the present tiinc for a pile of stones, but i~;ii,lany other Polynesia1 languqes, e.g. Tahitian, Hawaiian, it necms just that. The argument here is at best tenuous, but it does at least suggest that island building on Rukuoro may have been a much more important factor in the present layout of the atoll than our few better-documented cases would lead us to suspect. Several other -inodu have alternative names which include the root -ahu. Here again we suspect, atoll-building at soroe reaote point in time. In addition, certain aclc'itional island names point to human or natural consolidation.

Augentation of one's property at the ex2ense of the sea proceeds to this day in mmy smaller ways, especialljr along the lagoon face of the main island. Property owners here have erected stone piers to hasten the accu:nulation of drifting sand; seawalls are built out a bit from the high water level and debris is thrown into any 101.1 damp area behind them to provide fill; only enough coral is reaovcd from the reef on the lagoon side to provide a channel for canoes to their skorage sheds at low tide, the rest being left there to prevenk sand from wash- ing away.

A practiczl feature of our observations here is the _uossibility which ma:y still exist on rmng atolls for increcsiry; the available land under cultivation. dhere lagoon depth, fishins, rainfnll, and other resources ~ermit,atoll builZing under .;overnxent sponsorship might prod-uce extra land for ;?n expanding po~uiationwithout good opportuni- ties for migration. On cornparati-~elywell-endo\iecl atolls, such as i\:u!ct;oro, such potentialities put the matter of "population pressure" in clearer perq~ec-Live: presunably if the poptllation were in fact "prassing" on available resources, they would be d-oing sonething about it.

Table I m-d accompanying notes present the s~bst~tiativedetail which we heomitted in the above discussion.

Table I Order -Mou Mou Name ----Other Names and Xotes 1. *** Moduilalo gele liogelegele- idaha 2. *** Olomanga 010 idem I, 0 .

Order Present Name I~~OU Other Xames and Notes - --I__-- dau Daumaha K; Taumaha (sinwlar of daumaha ) 11. Ladi dini idem (di + 2 for completion of -mou element) 12. Demodu modu idem nini Ninidauana D hai idem B; Deangimaiolo baga Zakau 14 * Ngaligi ligi idem E; Bagau 15 Sungaulohu sunga holu maholu 16. * Tuil a tui idem 17. Haduganae hadu id.em 18. Balaiasi bala idem 19. Ivioduovega vega idem 20. Baonga bao idem 21. *** Ahuloloa loa idem dini lage dule lage b 0 guba 22. Ploduodula Moduosaualoualo, Ngana 23. *** Ahuedolu G 24. Moduovae vae id.em 25. *** Deahu ahu idem H, J!! 26. *** Deahu ahu idem H 27. -%* Deahu A, H ei (indicates a pause between major groups of modu) Sabinimadogo bini idem Modubodai dai idem Ivioduidua dua idem Aliuilodo lodo iden Dahmgahaino hanga idem Dahangadabu l~anga id.em Iihulegalega lega idem Masagumani- mani idem ilalo Fiulegida niu idea Ahulanui # Dolungahale dolu idern Dalagivao dala idem Moduia ia idem deni Table I !cont .) -Order Present Name -I40u --Mou Name ----Other Nmes and Notes 41. Nodunui 42. Namooilodoa namo idem 43- *** Hauosiga siga idem Ahuesiga 44. Gabinivele vele idem 45 Dalainamo hau Haungaobo 46. *"* Deungagelegele # 0

Key to columns in Table I

= serial position of the modu beginning at the Southwest extremity of the island chain md proceeding countercloclrrrise to the Northwest extremity [this is the local convention for the enumeration of the -modu]. [see accompanying map]

Asterisks indicate the evidence for atoll building:

* indication of agglomeration of modu through naturxl or humL= agency * :k -preseiit extent and productivity of modu appears to be the result of atoll building *** probably owes its existence to human qency

"Present rAarneI1= name in most common use at the ?resent time. These names, and all other Nukuoro words in this paper, are writter in the standard phonemic orthogrzphg for Nu.kuoro. This orthography was developed by a former Chief; we have assisted only in codifying it and in helping to standardize certain usages, spelling of proper names, word division, and the like. One such usage-now locally accepted-which is reflected in these names, is the writing of all proper names as a single word with an initial capital letter, except where this obscures juncture between vowels. In the latter case, a hyphen sepnr~testhe vowels :diich might otherwise be eilided [v. 8 & 35 above].

Wou"- - gives the elements of the gn in order [conventionally rscited in lines of fcur elements each]. The rules of this (and a11 other) mou that ena.ble one to associate the elements with Games for modu are three in number: (1) each element consists of two syllables; (2r each e1emen.t pertains to one modu; (3) the elements are in order-as out- lined above for the enumeration of the modu.

"?& naiiel' - the name for the modu to which the mou element refers. These are all thought of as a!.ternat,ive-usually older-names for the --modu. "Idem1' in this column indicates that the present ncme and the mou name are identical.

"Other nan;esfl = alternative names for the e,in addition to the -mov. name. "Notes" - refers by Ietter, to the notes following, Notes . Numbers following letters refer to m, as enumera.ted above. No gloss is provided below for -ah. 'This we have tre~tedas best we cm in the text. 2 - Islands thus marlred are said to have been left out of the because "they are not natural islmds but made by men". Since there is considerable evidence that the r;t_qu includes aptifi~iallymade modu, this is tsken to mean that the modu in question were con- structed long after the earlier efforts reflected in the m. A rough date could possibu be established for each of these cases through geological comparison of the ccnsolidation of these modu with those undisputably much older.

A. 27 was formed from two ahu.: Ahuidua + Ahuidai

B. Several contemporary -mod11 names are said. to be names for only one of the several modu from which it was formeci: 7, 14, 13 (Haisisi said by some to be just part of Deangiaaiolo), It is not of course possible to determine in these cases whether the joining of ad-jacsnt & proceeded s;pontaneously or was effected with huinan assistance, except by detailed geological survey. Several narrres in the -mou are said to refer to once separated l~~hlhich are now joined together. In most of these casss, such names are now found as place names on the consolidate.

C. 9. a. mada = Madalama (mythological name of J.\!ukuoro) b. -gina- joined Madalama, as represented in Madagina (another very old name for ~ukuoro) c. De,&ua and -mu- joined to form iihunau and Ahunau joined Madagina. The Southeastern portion of Iiukuoro has two place names which reflect this join: Debigi ('roc!rs yut together' ) and Debai. d. Two separate modu., Dagzhidihidi md Moduobua (each of which is a place name in the extreme Xorthenst por.tion of Nukuoro island), each joined the above agglomerate to form the present island of NUKUORO.

D. 13. Minidauana is a place name on Haisisi.

E. 14. Ngaligi is thought by some to be a synonym for Bakau, but tradi- tion records that it was originally an sdjacent. island.

F. 16. Naholu is a place on Tuila at present (socthera portion). Tradi- tion records that it was once a seprate islet.

G. 23. khuedolu (I three ahul) is said to have been formed from Dinilage + Duleilage + Boguba, each of which was formed from two others. This construction leaves the status of island 22 in doubt. Notes ( cont .) H. 25, 26, 2'7. These ahu, collectively called Denga-ahu ('the (pl.) ahu') are distinguished where necessary by adding 'belonging to [name of owtier; ' . Place names on several modu whose -mou name gives no clue to prior consolidation reflect some human int2rvention in its formation.

I. 2. Olomanga (etymolozicaily, & !place where the sand comes together' + manga 'something branching') is divided into three main divisions (running seaward to lagoonward). Deahuagelegele (gelegele = ' sand' ) Deahuagasi (&asi = a kind of shell) 3eahuanau (nau = kind of tree-planted at the water's edge to consolidate soil against erosion by the sea)

J. 6. The side of this island toward the channel is called Debigi ( 'rocks put together' ) .

K. 10. South side is called Deahunau [cf, note I].

A few have disappeared or become smaller.

LA Between 4 aid 5 Deahuaodeubi was washed. away in a storm. M. 5. Extension of this island to the channel (by its inh8.bitants) was subse~uentlywashed away.

.- N. Between 25 ar,d 26 one ahu (~huo Taohenga; later cz;.lled Lhu. o ~iaane) was washed away in a storm.

0, Those Islads which contain gelegele ('sand' ) in their name are thought to have been originally sandbanks, which required considerable human effort to make into permarient and productive rnodu: 1, 2, 4, 46.

P. Occasionally a legmd recounts the making of an island by a human being.

11. ---Directions on Nuhoro Looked at on a map oriented Eortli, the 46 islets (mod~)- of Mukuoro Atoll form a backwards W". The chain of islaiids stretches from the Southwest, aroumd in a counter-clockwise direction to the Northwest.

The Nukuoro perceive this in the reverse way. The southwestern terminus of the chain is ngage (smakes a suSstantive of the following adjective; 5~2is not now used othzr than to indicate a direction on the atoll-in many other Polynesian languages, however, (e .g. ~inori)it meas ' front11. *The northwestern terminus of the chain is naaiho (s+ j& 'back'). The traditional rhyme for enumerating the a,the E, Segins at ngage and ends at ngaiko. From any place on the atoll one is 'going ngage' when one is going away from ngaiho, and vice-versa. In the unlikely event that on2 were proceeding afoot along the submerged reef which separates ngage and ngaiho, the same rule muid apply: leaving ngqe, one is goingny~aiho, and vice-versa.

Thus it will be seen that directions on Nukuoro are relstive, not absolute: one may be 'going ngage (or ngniho)' be proceeding along any possible comyJass bearins at the tic!e. This is somewhat obscured in the minds of some of the yomger and better-educated Nukuoro who, having been taught compass directions in school, vmnt to construe ngaze as 'South' and ngaiho as 'Kortii' , since this is the case on the island of Nukuoro on which the single village is established (md by far the area within ~hiclithese terns are used nost fi-equently). Since most travel to other is by canoe (in whi.c'n case one would simply say that one were 'going to [name of mo&]'), these individuzls are not apt to use or hear thesa es;?ressiona eno~ghto reaind them that their usage by the majority contrasts with this modern usage. Another factor that tends to obscure the relativistic character of this usage is the fact that any travel towsrds the island of Nukuol-o is called 'going hale' ( ' hornet ) . Going away fro111 ngaiho towards Nukuoro or away from ngage towards Mulcuoro on2 23es not hwe occasion to say that one is going ngaiho or ngage. T'hus in everyday usage 'going n.q&ge' is used only for foot travel frorn Nukuoro towards ad 'going ngzilio' from Mulruoro towards ngaiho; but most especially these terms are used for travel on the islet of iilukuoro . Parallel to this directional terminology w1-~ichrefers to 6irec.kion around the circumfarence of the circle formed by the atoll's islets, is a pair of terms, one of which refers inwxd toi>!ard the center of the circle, the other of which refers outmiid from the circumference. --I d.ai ('on the watert, i.e. 'lagoonwards) contrasts with i dua ('on the backs, i.e. 'seaward'). Hcre again there is a bit of confusion when these terms are made to spply to 'West' and 'East' -thinking of the absolute directions to which they correspond on the main island. Usage of these terms, however, is consistent: frorn any part of the atoll, --i dai is toward the center of the lagoon and i dua is toward the open sea, irrespective of the absolute directions involved.

It will not be argued on this slender bit of philolo~ythat the orientation in native thought of Nukucro Atoll towards the South indicates thnt its people originally came frorn there-although the people themselves and early ethnologists clain precisely this-but we would argue that spatial orientation, especially the matter of looking inward, away from the moana ('void', 'open sea') is reflected in their social organizatj.on- This matter, however, is more conveniently relegated to a subsequent paper. NUKUORO ATOLL

. . ---. ..- IDA1 - "-. . l DUA

METERS

0 2 000 SKETCH MAP ADAPTED FR)M H.O. 60 42 I. The narncs of th~isletson hk~1.oroAt.011

In making maps, it is generally considered cheating to siqly co-py an older ma?. However, no such stricttlres seetr, to apply to place nanes. Cartopaphsrs 2re wont .to per~3etuatethe most preposterous errors tlxough inattention to this aspect of map-making.

There are several unfortunate results. Native peoples, now almost universally liternts in their om language, are not infrequently offended when the nanes of their islands are incorrectly spelled. This is especially true where there is a standard official. orthography to which the surv3ying party pays not the slightest heed, preferring to record place names i:ilpressionisticslly (ad, irievitaklg , inconsistentlj.) . Would it be a.pyroprinte for a Ihtch geographer to spell New York as 'Kieu Jook'?

In non-self-governing tzrritoriea educators are making an effort to teach local people a respect for Zuropean standards of scholarly and scientific work. Maps are t;idely circulated in these teri-itoriss. Errors in the maps themselves may escape n~ticefor c1eca.des; but place names are irmediatelg visible-and immeuiately judged.

The worst possible resuit of icaccura.te gaogrcphic names is the confusion they eagencier. i)n i\ivkuoro, the ~eopleare inclined to believe that "the white %an knows best." If the nmes on the imps are right, then the Nukuoro orthography, which has been the educational standard for over forty yeers, is wrong. In point of fact, the hkuorc orthography con-f~rmsto the hig'riest s-tandards of 1ingu.istic science. The author, a trained liilguist end mtbropologi.st, w3.s u.nable to iinprove on this orthogra?hy, which had Seen devised rare thm a generation ago by a local chief. The naines on the xiaps, on the other hand, are most definitely wrocg. Bot only is the orthography in error, but islets are, in some CZLSBG , niisnamod zltogether .

,E?e following is a definitve list of the present names for the islets of Nukuoro Atoll. Names on other charts are listed to support the above accusations. Table I1

Names of Islets on P!V?LUO~OAt&

Deutsche Admirali- Names Sheet 5133 1 EE U.S. gavy B.O. t2tsBarte 97 Nap of the Survey at Fresent ;INS Series US56 ---ch~t60112 -(corrected to 1911) Ship llOrionll (if% ) Pioduilalo -- -- Olomanga Oromange Oromange Orornan~e Deahua Deahna (~eahua) Deahna De&ua i~loduilodo rllotuiloto Motu Iloto ?!iotuiloto Gausema Kau j ema Kau j erna Kau j ema -- Senugud-ai Shenukdei Shenukdei Schenukdai Schenukdei IUIasabu Piasops (~viol~iringatua) - - Masops Masagurnmi-ingaze Piasaltorflani -- PIasakomani NmaORO NUI'X?O;',O NUKUOLU NUiCUOIIO m 1 dagamanga Takonran Taltonran J- a~om-au Ladi Rati -- Lati Demodu IIeisisi -- Timo tu Haisisi Te Notu - - Heisisi Ngaligi Pakhau -- Bakau Sungaulohu Sliugnaurohu Shugnaurohu S cl~u~aurohu Schugnauroho 'hila Tuila Tuila Tuila Tuila Haduganae Hatu Kanai - - Hatu kanei Ealaiasi Pala i iasi - - Paleyasi Moduovega I\'loduoveka - - Pbtuowega Baonga Paonga - - Boumga Ahuloloa Ahuroroo kluiroroa dhu roroa Moduodula Idoduotura - - Motuo tura Ahuedolu khuwe toru -- Ahuwetoru Moduovae Motuwei, Platv.m i Motuwci Table I1 (cont .)

Deutsche kdmirali- Names Sheet 5133 1 BE U.S. Navy H.O. tgtskarte $7 Piap of the Survey at Present -AXS Series-.- W856 Chart 6042 -(corrected to 1511) Ship "Orionfi (if91 ) Deahu* Teahu (~eachua) Dezhu hstinga Deahu* -- Deahu wihinger Deahu* Tehu (Teachua) -- De&u Sabinimad-ogo ;a-pinimatolr Sapininatok Sapini i4atok Modubodai IvIotuitua Piotu Ituo Mot Bodei Moduidua Tahangaroro Tahangolo Kotu.itua Ahuilodo Ahuiroto Tahangz roo Dahangahaino Motupotai Ahui10d.o Dahaugadabu nL ahangatabu TaAalga tabu Ah-degalega Ynu. Legalega Ahuregatik Nasagumani-ilalo Ivlasaku Mani Iiasako mai tara Riulegida F:iur&ita i. i-~kangi Ahulanui dukanui -- Dolu.n,3ahale Tolu nz hcile Terangr-, hxri Dalagivao No tunu i laraki w&iu . - moduia i'aralraivao - - Motu ia Modunui Motoia -- ilo tome :Iotonui Namoilodoa ITaniuirotoa Nanuiro-toa Natnui rotoa :!::mi7 - rotoa Ilauosiga Hau Usiki -- - - Ahuosi kat Gablnivel? Kapinivere Kapinivere Kai~inivere Xapini vere Dalainamu Tavaihamu -- Tarei namu Deungagele.sele Tonga Iierikeri Tonga Kerilreri nlonga lcerikeri * These islands, collectively called Denga Ahu, are locally distinguished. froa eech other, when necessary, by adding the narne of the present owner. Since this stipulation cl~m;<:;.esthe naine in evary gcn~ration, cartographers are advised to use only the name listed.