Evacuation of Bikini 1 Early in 1946 1t was decided that Bikini Atoll wasthe most suitable location for the testing of atomic weapons. The Bikini people were asked to leave and, as might have been expected of a people of their historical conditioning to obedience, especially after more than a quarter of a century of autocratic Japanese rule, agreed to ‘leave their ancestral home. The possibilities of resettlement in the Marshalls were very limited because land is scarce (only about 74 square miles) and very little of it is available for settlement. The Marshallese jealously guard their jand rights and will not willingly part with them. . Problems of Resettlement The 166 Bikinians were offered the choice of moving to either Ujae, Lae, or Rongerik, all atolls in the northwestern Marshalls. Ujae and Lae were already regularly inhabited, but Rongerik was only exploited by the people of neighboring Rongelap who had land rights on the atoll. These people visited Rongerik to make copra, to fish, and to gather other foods. For this reason, presumably, as well as the fact that it was the closest to Bikini, the Bikini people opted to go to Rongerik rather than Ujae or Lae. A village was built on Rongerik by Navy Seabees and a group of Bikini men, and all of the Bikini people were moved to that a For a detailcd report of the movements of the Bikini people from Bikini to Rongerik and to Kili, see Mason, Leonard ‘The Bikinians A Transplanted Population, Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 1950, pp.-5-15. Human Organication, anefetes] eos: mam Sw 2 forerndgix