It’s yam season in Pohnpei, which means FEAST season! Pretty much every village has a feast, so I went with my family to three of them this month.
The first feast was in our village, and it was a rather small, humble affair compared with the feasts in the larger villages that we went to. I met the chief of our village (I’m hoping my inability to speak the “high language” didn’t offend him… I just through in whatever formal words I know in Pohnpeian, ha ha). We all ate yams and a few pigs.
In the larger villages, though, the feasts were a really big deal. The best feast was a few weeks ago now. There were hundreds of people crowded into the “nahs” (feast house). First, there was a huge procession of men carrying in sakau, yams, and pigs. Everything was carried on huge logs, including the live pigs hanging upside down. Just when I thought we had wiped out the entire pig population on the island, even more would appear! Some of the pigs were so big that it took 10 men or so to carry them. The yams were ridiculously huge too. As they carried in the ridiculously heavy loads, all the guys were dancing and yelping. At the same time, the pigs were shrieking and squealing like crazy – I guess when you’re upside down tied to a log, you know you’re in trouble. It was insane.
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| A pig facing certain death |
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| Elaborate construction |
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| Pig head! (very Lord of the Flies...) |
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| The yams are kind of giant... |
Meanwhile, the women were dancing in the nahs. Lots of shaking and undulating. They were all just having a great time. I swear, Pohnpeians are immune to self-consciousness or something. During the dance “breaks,” we ate a ridiculous amount of food (I was given two trays for my portion) and listened to some speeches from the chiefs. After the pigs had been slaughtered and cooked, the men danced in with the pig carcasses on their backs.
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| Dancing! |
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| Pig carcasses |
The whole thing lasted for about eight hours or so – a rather exhausting amount of time to spend sitting on the concrete floor of the nahs with no room to stretch out. It was a constant battle as my various limbs took turns falling asleep.
And, in case you're wondering what I'm learning in the Peace Corps... I now know the lyrics to just about every Backstreet Boys song every recorded. My family is kind of obsessed. We listen to them everyday! I can also recite my 2 and 3 times tables in Pohnpeian (in a super sing-songy chant that my first grade nieces learned at school).
Hi Mia. I'm a friend of your Mom's and she told me about this blog in her Christmas letter. I'm so excited to read your blog because it reminds me of my days in the PC. I left Olympia in 1995 to serve in Kenya, Africa. Your experiences remind me of my days in Kenya. Also, I'm very interested in learning about the culture you are living in. In my job in Portland, OR. I have worked with 3 different families from Chuuk and I find it to be a fasinating culture. Even the families living here in Portland still celebrate church, funerals, families, food and life, like you are experiencing in her village. It's great fun. Have a Merry Christmas. nancy
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