BC Cook
AMONG Pacific islands Pohnpei stands out for many reasons. It has Nan Madol, making it one of only a few islands that are home to monumental architecture. Couple that with the islanders’ history and we have a unique story that many are not aware of. The centerpiece of the whole legend is a man named Isokelekel.
That is the most common spelling I have seen. But there are over ten versions of his name either written or spoken. I believe that surpasses Lapu Lapu of the Philippines.
When we dig into the history of most islanders we find that their past goes back into the mists of time. The first generation typically sprung from gods and they have always lived there. Not so with Pohnpeians. They claim that they were not the first inhabitants of the island, but moved in from elsewhere, pushing the original people either to extinction or, according to some, to the center of the island where they still dwell. They don’t even claim to have built that great masterpiece, Nan Madol. I have been told that it was constructed by the original inhabitants, a race of small people, who the Pohnpeians defeated.
Several hundred years ago the island was ruled by a group called the Saudeleurs. They were the ones who built Nan Madol and ruled the island with iron fists. Think of the power it would take to command so many people to create something as massive and marvelous as that stone city. Few Egyptian pharaohs wielded as much power. But the Saudeleurs were not the ancestors of the modern Pohnpeians.
Tired of the great outcry from the islanders against their ruthless masters, the people of Kosrae, led by Isokelekel, invaded Pohnpei about five hundred years ago and overthrew the Saudeleurs, killing most of them and driving the rest to the western and central portions of the island. Then Isokelekel and his descendants took political control of Pohnpei.
They reorganized the people, creating the five family clans we see on Pohnpei today. All of the ruling chiefs trace their ancestry back to Isokelekel, meaning that modern Pohnpeians are actually Kosraean.
Much of the story I have told here is verified by archaeology. Nan Madol, the Saudeleurs, an invasion from Kosrae, all of these things happened. But the details remain sketchy. Based on who you hear the story from, the leader of the Saudeleur dynasty met at least ten different endings. I was told he escaped to another island and re-established his rule. Others say he lived out his life in the mountains of central Pohnpei. One version says he ran to a river and turned himself into a fish to escape capture.
There are also great differences in the role of Isokelekel’s second in command. According to various versions he was a loyal helper, a devious schemer, or an outright traitor.
This legend is important not only to the islanders themselves. Historians, archaeologists, linguists, and ethnographers would all like to fill in the missing pieces and clear up the inconsistencies. There is an important story to be told here, one that fits into the larger canvas of Pacific history.
Why would the Pohnpeians claim to be immigrants when very few other islanders make such a claim? Why is there a stone city on Kosrae very similar to Nan Madol on Pohnpei? Who got the idea from whom? Depending on that answer, we may have to rewrite the entire invasion story.
BC Cook, PhD lived on Saipan and has taught history for over 30 years. He is a director and historian at Sealark Exploration.
