Comments on: 1966 Yap and the Outer Islands… A Photo Journal (Part III)

By: Clare Y

Clare Y — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:43:38 +0000

I enjoyed reading all the comments. I love to read and find out what westerners think of us. I am from Yap (main island).

By: Damon

Damon — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:03:49 +0000

Thanks for assisting with the corrections.

I didn’t mean to mislead.

I looked at the first picture and on the back of that it said “A Chief on Uliwithi”

So I assumed it was like Samoa where all folks with lot’s of Tattoos were chiefs.

I do have other pictures where grandma has wrote “Chief” and only the date of 1966 on the pictures that I will be releasing soon. It would be great to find out who these “Chiefs” are.

Thanks mom for contributing to this… and most of all of course… thanks for giving me the pictures so that I can give them back to the world.

I look forward to continuing these posts for awhile.

By: Damon

Damon — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:01:04 +0000

Still more to come… Have lots to compile, and as this is coming together… lots of editing as I find out names and the correct information on things.

Keep on the lookout for more in the coming days.

By: Greg Knudsen

Greg Knudsen — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:45:20 +0000

Damon, these are great. Karen and I were Peace Corps in Truk from 74-76 and visited many outer islands in the area that were very similar to these. I’m following some PCVs in the Federated States of Micronesia now and things in Yap don’t appear to have changed that much. I was back to Truk (Chuuk) a few years ago, and Karen returned earlier this year. Not much has changed. Our experience there was life altering. Even today, I was behind a Chuukese woman while shopping and spoke a short phrase or two in Chuukese. She replied as if she didn’t even realize that I spoke to her in her native language. It’s fun to surprise the many Chuukese now living in Honolulu by speaking in their language. Thanx for sharing your family’s pics. Aloha…

By: Su Tucker

Su Tucker — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:33:28 +0000

Body tattooing was done by all the people before WWII. The tattooed men are not necessarily chiefs, but they are all honored elders. Dad also found that the elder women were tattooed from the waist to the knees. While it was the traditional way that the women were topless, they were very modest about showing their legs, even while swimming. I, in respect for their values, wore a sarong over my bikini while swimming, or I just went in with my dress.