Part IV – A Yapese Party:
Continued from: Part III: Moms Tale of Arrival
Locals carrying their shells to a version of a "Makahiki" (© Damon Tucker)
There was a caste order system, with the people on Yap having higher castes than the outer islanders.
Let the games begin (@ Damon Tucker)
Once a year there would be a long festival like a makahiki.
"This was a part of the Makahiki type ceremony with the Yapese women honoring the outer island visitors and a thank you for the tribute they had been given. The women would dress in their finest ceremonial outfits. Yapese women wore double layered skirts with a poof of grass at the upper waist part and longer strands to the ground. Because these skirts were worn until they got skimpy, the women were very happy with the introduction of Raid bug spray. The outer island women wore lava lavas. The men wore thus, generally made from cotton fabric, in a manner similar to malus. The mating age males wore several 3 yard layers of cloth to use in their thus to dress up. We were never aware of any bad body odors. They in turn could smell us because we constantly covered ourselves with OFF bug spray." Su Tucker (© Damon Tucker)
Locals doing their local dances
The outer islanders would bring shell money.
Gift Exchanges (© Damon Tucker)
They would also bring lava lavas, hair combs, breast plates made from iridescent scallop shells and bracelets made from top shells and pig tusks.
Young lady and her child (© Damon Tucker)
There would be much chanting of the years events and sharing between the people.
Chanting about the years events (© Damon Tucker)
More Song and Dance (© Damon Tucker)
"I believe this honored elder was taking me to his wife's hut for me to have lunch with her, The lunch was either shoyu chicken, or it was octopus cooked in its own ink, with cooked green papaya" Su Tucker (© Damon Tucker)
Grandpa and some respected elders (© Damon Tucker)
- Part I: Introduction
- Part II: Who
- Part III: Moms Tale of Arrival
- Part V: The Homes and Structures of Yap
- Part VI: Quotes from the Diary (Part A) – “I managed to get away from Antonio…“
- Part VII: Quotes from the Diary (Part B) – “...Now our soda is out of the refrigerator and the baby is in it.”
- Part VIII: The People
Filed under: Blogs, Community, Entertainment, Environment, Food & Drink, Kids, Sustainable Living, Tourism Tagged: | Yap and the Outer Islands
Hard to believe this was just 43 years ago.
Aloha,
Keahi
Mahalo for posting these great photos!