The Remaining Faal's on Oneop Island

I cannot help but wonder what will happen to the Oneop landscape, say, ten, fifteen or twenty years from now. Looking back fifteen to twenty years in the past, I recalled Oneop as a once robust and vibrant community with a healthy population with a simple but unique lifestyle. The small closed-knit community where everybody knew everyone was alive and well at that time contrary to what one Bad Volunteer tried to portrayed in her publication some years later.


View Larger Map of Oneop Island from Space

Around that time, there used to be about twelve "faal"s strategically located on each lineage's land or property near the shores throughout the island. There were Ukomw, Lemelech, Olap, Lemwar, Aur, Lamangu, Unufou, Lerong, Lanean, Lepu, Mesen and Kusan. The "faal"s were not only meeting places and storehouses for the islanders' canoes or boats but also served as the sleeping and living quarters for the males--from the very old and invalid "warrior" down to the young pubescent lad who just got kicked out of the ladies' quarters. In these faal's, stories and legends were told, history was preserved and handed down to the next generation and skills, crafts and local trades and knowledge were taught and practiced.


The Old Faal

In each of the faals, there were at least two or three elderly men over the age of ninety who were confined to their weip's who could still read books without any presciption eyeglasses; there were a dozen able-bodied seamen/fishermen who always talked about fishing and night-crawling and argued about who caught the largest or the most beautiful fish; and there was always the clutch of adolescent boys who always lingered around just to hear the next episode of the Legend of Saiochol or the Adventure of Rakumur.

Today, some of the faal's are no longer standing--they were deserted and became dilapidated and later torn down with the hope of being rebuilt one day. Some new ones were built instead: Asipelong, Sopowou, Lamangu 2, Wenupuker, and Lepu 2. These new faal's were built with modern materials and were very nice. However, unlike the faal's of old, the spirit was no longer there. Where have all the old men gone? There doesn't seem to be any more old people around. And why are all the young men going to Guam, Hawaii, and mainland USA? There is nobody around anymore to teach the boys in the ways of the islands.


Lefaalen Asipelong (Tomuo, Junior, Kipiter & Berwit)

The faal is the institution in which one can find the strength of unity and the sense of belonging. It binds everybody in that community together to live in relative peace and harmony. It is the place where knowledge is acquired and direction is provided for the advancement of the people of that community. Without the faals, the community and their survival are at stake.