Cultural ceremony in ethnobotany

Ethnobotany, being a Tuesday-Thursday 3:30 class, is always the last class in the last period on the last day before spring break. Attendance is usually low for the class. This term the extremely late date for Easter allowed the kava cultural ceremony to land on this day. With no class the next day, I did not have to be concerned that some students might linger after the ceremony. The field trip also solved the attendance issue. Twenty-five of twenty-six students were in attendance.

The class visited Nahnmadeu en Lehnpwel, Simion Nicholas, of Pehleng, Kitti, Pohnpei.

 Nahnmadeu en Lehnpwel

 Sabodan

Class arrive led by Sother "Nahlik"Anton Jr.

Lihno

Menindei in mwaramwar

Rotick and Rico

Sandra You on the right

Merlina, Hanae, Lilly Jane, Carie-Ann, Arlen

Benhart, (Sapino), Westcot, Leona Leion


Menindei in traditional garb

Westcot, Leona

Sakau enters the nahs with four stems



Under watchful eyes, some students clean the sakau in the traditional manner with coconut husk

Leona is tasked as an oaurir, does not yet know how to sit

McGurruth "Mikey" shows he knows how to serve as an oaurir

Menindei directs the sukusuk

Nahlik learns the four pwoaikoar.

Tehn wehd (toahn wed) refers to the four taro leaves (Latin: Alocasia macrorrhiza) are placed around the stone to catch pieces of sakau that fall. These are called pwei koar or pwoaikoar. Pounders should place their feet under the pwoaikoar. There is an order to the placement, and a name called out when the leaf is place: koaloal adak, koaloal epwel, koaloal leng, pwei koar di. The -di signifies completion (from the course text).


The four moahl (pounding stones) also have names: Moahl for Nahnmwarki: moahleina, moahlasang katau, moahleileng, (moahleiloang), moahleini. Moahl for Nahnken: moahleiso, moahlmwahu (moahlamwahu), souriahtek, (soauriahtik), souriahlap (soauriahlap).


Sother, Rico, pound.


Video of the sokamah or tempel being played on the peitehl

Jamie on the right.

McGurruth (Mikey) demonstrates his skill set in the nahs, knowing his arm positions

After nopwei the class was dismissed and returned to campus. Friends of the family stayed back for small talk and socialization. Sother remained as the squeezer.

Mikey took over later in the evening, demonstrating his own abilities at wungwung

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