Chuukese people

Last updated

Chuukese
Total population
c.55,000
Regions with significant populations
Flag of the Federated States of Micronesia.svg  Micronesia 51,000
Flag of Chuuk.svg  Chuuk State
Flag of the United States.svg  United States c. 10,500
Languages
Chuukese, English
Religion
60% Roman Catholic
40% Protestantism, Mormonism, other [1]
Related ethnic groups
Micronesian peoples, Austronesian peoples

The Chuukese, previously spelled Trukese, are a Micronesian-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the island of Chuuk and its surrounding islands and atolls. They constitute almost 49% of the population of the Federated States of Micronesia, making them by far the largest ethnic group in the country.

Contents

Language

Their language is Chuukese, which belongs to the Chuukic branch of Micronesian languages, which is in turn part of the Malayo-Polynesian language family. The Malayo-Polynesian language family is a subdivision of a wider Austronesian language family, one of the world's primary language families. The language is written in a modified Latin alphabet.

Population

A 2010 census showed that the Chuukese people were the fastest growing group of Pacific Islanders during the 2000s decade in the United States, increasing from a population of about 700 in the year 2000 to more than 4,000 in time for the 2010 census. [2]

Culture

Religion

Although the Chuukese are overwhelmingly Christian, traditional beliefs in spirit possession by the dead still exist. Allegedly, these spirits overwhelmingly possess women, and spirit possession is usually brought on by family conflicts. The spirits, speaking through the women, typically admonish family members to treat each other better. [3]

Traditional marriage practices

Traditionally, before a man could consider marriage, he needed to have experience in farming, fishing, and boat construction. He also had to be able to build his own house. When he had these skills he would inform his parents that he was ready for marriage; the parents would then search for a suitable young woman to be his wife. When they had decided on a girl, the parents of the man would visit the girl's parents. They would introduce themselves and the purpose of their visit, and discuss possible marriage with the girl's parents. If a marriage was agreed upon, the young man would stay with the girl's parents and the girl would reside with the young man's parents, up until the wedding day. Prior to the marriage, both families would prepare a feast which would be attended by the leaders of their respective families. According to custom, the girl's family would provide enough food for the man's family, and his family would do the same for the girl's.

There are some attitudes towards marriage among the Chuukese people that may have been retained from past tradition. While both the man and woman will desire compatible sex partners in marriage, they look even more for good workers. A person incapable of work is unlikely to be successful at marriage in Chuuk. A person is well aware of the character and abilities of those in the community, and selects a partner accordingly. [4]

Livelihood and housing

The traditional subsistence of the Chuukese is fishing. In modern times, fishing is still an important source of income for families and both men and women engage in the occupation. Traditional Chuukese homes were built using palm thatch where families maintained strong intimate bonds. [5]

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Chuuk or Truk may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Islander</span> Person from the Pacific Islands

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weno</span> Municipality in Federated States of Micronesia

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Chuuk State is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The other states are Kosrae State, Pohnpei State, and Yap State. It consists of several island groups: Namoneas, Faichuuk, the Hall Islands, Namonuito Atoll, Pattiw, and the Mortlock Islands. Chuuk is by far the FSM's most populous state, with 50,000 inhabitants on 120 square kilometers. Chuuk Lagoon is where most people live. Weno island, in the lagoon, is Chuuk's state capital and the country's biggest city. It may hold a referendum on independence in the near future, although this referendum has been repeatedly postponed.

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Woleaian is the main language of the island of Woleai and surrounding smaller islands in the state of Yap of the Federated States of Micronesia. Woleaian is a Chuukic language. Within that family, its closest relative is Satawalese, with which it is largely mutually intelligible. Woleaian is spoken by approximately 1700 people. Woleai has a writing system of its own, a syllabary based on the Latin alphabet.

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Isidore Dyen was an American linguist, Professor Emeritus of Malayo-Polynesian and Comparative Linguistics at Yale University. He was one of the foremost scholars in the field of Austronesian linguistics, publishing extensively on the reconstruction of Proto-Austronesian phonology and on subgrouping within the language family, the latter principally by means of lexicostatistics.

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Mori Koben was a Japanese businessman and adventurer, who was best remembered as one of the first Japanese pioneers in Micronesia. As a young man, Mori migrated from Japan to Chuuk, where he helped to establish Japanese businesses in Micronesia. Mori's guidance and direction helped to expand Japanese business interests throughout Micronesia during the Spanish and German colonial-era. After Japan annexed Micronesia from Germany in 1914, Mori was hired as an adviser to the Japanese administration in the South Seas Mandate, and was instrumental in encouraging Japanese settlement in Micronesia. In his final years during World War II, Mori facilitated Micronesian support in the Japanese war efforts, but was already suffering from failing health from old age. He died within a few days after the Japanese surrender, and a sizeable minority of Micronesians with Japanese ancestry from Chuuk trace their ancestry back to Mori.

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References

  1. "Micronesia, Federated States of: International Religious Freedom Report 2007". U.S. Department of State. 2007. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  2. "2010 Census Shows More than Half of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders Report Multiple Races". Census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  3. "Spirit Possession in Chuuk: Socio-Cultural Interpretation". www.micsem.org. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  4. Rresture, Jane (10 June 2012). "Micronesia: Aspects of Chuuk". janesoceania.com.
  5. Human. Winston, Robert M. L., Wilson, Don E., Smithsonian Institution. (1st American ed.). London: DK Publishing. 2004. p. 471. ISBN   0-7566-0520-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: others (link)