Namoluk (meaning "lagoon in the middle") is an

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the state of Chuuk,

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (, abbreviated FSM), or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a region of Oceania. The federation encompasses the majority of the Caroline Islands (excluding Palau) and consists of four Admin ...

. It is the smallest atoll in Micronesia, with a total surface of only 13 km² and a land mass of less than 1 km². Namoluk is part of the Eastern Islands or Middle Mortlock Islands group, located about 185 km to the SE of Chuuk and 50 km NW of Etal Atoll.

History

Prior to European colonialism in Micronesia, Namoluk was allied with Ettal,

Oneop Oneop is an island in the Mortlock Islands, and municipality in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia.Statoids.com
ret ...

, and Lukunoch, in wars against Moch, Satawan, Kuttu, and Ta. Occasionally Namoluk would also ally with Nama to battle against Losap. Such alliances shape modern-day sense of identity and community among the different island communities. The first documented contact of the Namoluk atoll by westerners was in 1827 when Captain Richard Macy sailed by the atoll on the whaleship ''Henry''. The next year, the explorer

Fyodor Litke Fyodor, Fedor () or Feodor is the Russian-language form of the originally Greek-language name "Theodore" () meaning "God's gift" or "god-given". Fedora () is the feminine form. "Fyodor" and "Fedor" are two English transliterations of the same Ru ...

made first foreign contact with the locals aboard the ''Senyavin''. In his account he reported that the locals approached his ship using their canoes and asked if they could explore the ship. Litke and the locals parted on good terms, and whalers and traders started using Micronesian waters more.

Culture

Food and diet

Prior to the introduction of imported trading goods in the early twentieth century, the people of Namoluk relied on the Pacific Island diet of seafood, fruits such as

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

s and

breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family ( Moraceae) believed to have been selectively bred in Polynesia from the breadnut ('' Artocarpus camansi''). Breadfruit was spread into ...

, and

taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...

. Occasionally islanders would supplement this with pork, chicken, or sweet potato. The Japanese introduced polished rice and canned fish during their colonial reign, and US exporters introduced other canned meats and turkey tail during the 1960s.

Islands

*Namoluk, located in the NW corner of the atoll, is the main island with 31 ha. Currently it is the only inhabited island and has three villages: **Saponwell in the NW **Lukolap in the center **Pukos in the SE Other islands: *Luken 1.5 ha *Toinom 21 ha *Umap 1.5 ha *Amwes located in the SE corner, 28 ha, inhabited until the 1930s, when an epidemic decimated the population. It was never resettled except for a single family. The largest islands have

fields. Denver

References

External links

Report of the German South Pacific Expedition 1908-1910Polynesia-Micronesia Biodiversity Hotspot
Atolls of the Federated States of Micronesia Municipalities of Chuuk State {{Micronesia-geo-stub