Two women seek out the shade during day one of a funeral in Pohnpei, FSM. Beside them are the several gallons of water there for the mourners, also seeking some coolness. May, 2010.
Evangeleen, one of my 8th grade students, strikes at pose after their graduation ceremony. Graduations are reminiscient of weddings -- white dresses, church, pride, and lots of flowers and gifts. Sometimes a graduate will get so many mwarmwars --...
Pohnpeians can harvest sumwomw -- trochus, a species of sea snail highly valued for its shell -- only one week every year. Pictured here is my host father holding up his catch. Playing hookie from school and accompanying my host family on this...
A bride and groom kneel before a priest in the family's nahs (meeting house). The groom was previosly married to the bride's sister who had recently passed away. This marriage was arranged and encouraged by all the extended family to keep the...
The first weekend at my new house, I did a photo tour of the grounds for my folks back home. The kids accompanied me and showed me how everything on the premises -- including the old car -- could be used for a photoshoot.
August 2010
Three of my students celebrate the holidays in a customary fashion -- with a HUGE party at school! Each class arranged a gift exchange and enjoyed many sugary snacks. Then the hired band (a synthesizer with two singers) started up and the dancing...
A Pohnpeian woman sits with her spoils in the nahs (meeting house) during a funeral -- e.g. the most important of social occasions in Pohnpei.
January 2010
Sunday afternoon in Lukop, Madolenihmw, Pohnpei, FSM. The baseball leagues are very popular, even if the best places to play are just in fields like this one that have been hand-cleared by machetes.
February, 2010