Population: Pop. 1,709 (1988).
Location: The atolls of the Marshall Islands run north and south in two parallel chains called Ratak, eastern chain, and the Ralik western chain. Jaluit atoll is located among the Ralik chain of atolls. An atoll is a beautiful coral island and reef that nearly, or entirely, closes off a lagoon beach area. Jaluit is one of the atolls in the Marshall Islands and has a total land area of 6.6 square miles with a lagoon that is easily accessible. Jaluit atoll has always been considered the most important of the atolls because its provided good anchorage and is one of the larger atolls.
Climate: Jaluit has a tropical climate. The average daily temperature at Jaluit is 81 degrees F with the coldest temperatures during the rainy season, September through November. During the rainy season mild trade winds and tropical storms are typical. Jaluit has a total rainfall of 160 in., with a minimum of 8 in. in February, and 16 in. a month from May to July. January through March is the dry season, and June through August are the hottest months.
Vegetation: Vegetation consists of palm trees, scattered shrubs and grasses. The volcanic land mass of the atoll reaches no more than 12 ft. high, and the other side of the atoll is no more than five feet high with coral boulders condescending to the flat beach of the lagoon area. Hundreds of species of coral can be found in the Marshall Island atolls, along with 250 species of fish, turtles, whales, dolphins, porpoises. In this area seventy species of birds have been identified, including thirty species of sea birds.
Language: The Marshall Islands are considered the home of the Marshallese people.At Jaluit atoll both Marshallese and English are the official languages. The Marshallese language consists of two major dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian and Japanese people. A traditional greeting is Yok we yuk, which means Love to You.
Culture: Canoes and sailing are important parts of the traditional Marshallese culture. Canoes were built and used to navigate the sea, fish mainly inside the lagoons, and use as trading vessels. When Marshallese had more food than they needed, they traded food with islands close by. They built three types of canoes, the Walap, which could carry 40 people with supplies for voyages to last more than a month; the Tipnol, used to fish in the lagoon; and the Korkor fitted with a sail used in the lagoons to fish. In travels between the islands, early Marshallese learned to read the wave patterns and the position of the stars using stick charts and two kinds of maps, the mattang and the rebbelib. They used their skill of observation. The medo, which was their local map, showed only a few nearby atolls. The maps were made of coconut strips and pandanus root on a frame that showed useful information to sailors. Medicine was important to the well-being of the people. The elderly knew how to use the medicine and treat people with it. By utilizing the vigna marina, pandanus roots, and nen tree leaves found on the island, they were able to treat boils, cure sickness, heal cuts and scrapes, and give emotional healing. Tattooing was a sign of adulthood and part of their culture. The chiefs of the community were the only ones to have tattoos on their face. The chief's wives had tattooing on the back of their hands to show they were married to a chief. A male's chest and back were divided into three parts, and the women had tattoo pictures on their arms, shoulders, and thighs. The leading export of Jaluit is copra, the dried meat of the nut from which coconut oil is made. Other native food includes breadfruit, pandanus, taro, arrowroot, yams, pumpkins, tapioca, coconut and bananas. Fish from the surrounding water has been the traditional support of life.
Daily Life: The daily life of the Marshallese was very busy. The men were often out fishing, and often fished until they caught something to eat. They made their fishing lines from plant fibers and fish hooks from shells, wood, and bones. Women looked after the children and were in charge of cooking. Women also gathered dry coconut husks and wood for fuel, cleaned the house and grounds, sewed clothes, and gathered fiber for making mats and baskets.Each family had their own piece of land called the wato. A wato was a piece of land that extended from the lagoon side to the ocean. On this land the family was allowed to plant crops that consisted of coconuts, pandanus, papayas, bananas and breadfruits. They kept animals such as chickens, pigs, and ducks for food.
History: The first Micronesian navigators arrived in the Marshall Islands some time between 500 and 2000 BC. Little is known of their origin or culture. The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas gave ownership of Micronesia to Spain. The Spanish left the islands alone most of the time because they were off the main trade route. In 1525 Alonso de Salazar of Spain became the first European to sight the islands but Spain did nothing to colonize them.The Marshall Islands never had a single leader, although one chief controlled several atolls or an entire chain at times. In 1788 the islands received a visit from English captain John Marshall, from whom they later got their name. He was transporting convicts to the colony of New South Wales. In the early 1800's Russian explorer Otto von Kotzebue came through and drew the first detailed maps of the islands. Traders and whalers began to visit the islands in larger quantities in the early 1800's, until relations with the Marshallese turned violent. The captains and crew members of ships were killed at various atolls. There was a decline in violence when Protestant missionaries arrived in 1857, setting up churches and schools. In 1885, Germany bought much of the Marshall Islands from Spain for $4.5 million. The German Jaluit Company settled in, making a treaty with the Marshallese chief. In 1914 Japan captured the islands from Germany. Japan proceeded to militarize the islands, including a base at Jaluit. During World War II, 1944, the United States seized the islands from the Japanese. Between 1946 and 1958 the U.S. used the Marshall Islands to detonate 66 nuclear bombs, first on Bikini atoll and then on Enewetak atoll. Sadly, radioactive fallout from the tests contaminated the entire Marshallese population and environment. Jaluit atoll was devastated by U.S. bombing in World War II, and has yet to recover.
Naval Intelligence Division. Pacific Islands Volume IV Western Pacific New Guinea and Islands Northward. Utica/Omaha, NE, 1945.
Destination Marshall Islands. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/pacific/marshall-islands/ (2/18/2000)
The Marshall Islands. http://www.tcsn.net/gses/6thrmihl/home/index.html (5/1999)
Micronesia. http://www.rgfa.com/micro.htm
Origins, Development and Transformation of Prehistoric Marshallese society. http://www.otago.ac.nz/Anthropology/Pacific/marshalls/marshaframe.html (1998)
Encyclopaedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=44257 (1999-2000)
By: Pam Riederer