better way to express that, we need help from the leaders of the community such as you, in expressing that in ways that will be understandable to the people. Marshallese: Could we say that this would be accurate and permissible or recommended? That if you have no food if there is no possibility of having food from the southern islands, then it is all right to eat from the northern islands? Would that be, would that be good to say? That, and there ultimately is no harm in eating that food since you don’t have any from the southern to use. ~: Well, I would surely say that is right. If you have no food on the southern islands presumably you will starve to death unless you eat something. And if there is food on the northern islands that prevents that, then certainly that would be a recommended temporary solution. that we are suggesting is that to the extent that the circumstances the bulk of the diet should come from the southern islands. need not be fearful if, for one circumstance All permit, But people or another, caught overnight in a storm in the northern islands, or a shortage of some particular food in the southern islands, that they consume some food from there. an abrupt difference. Marshallese: It’s not It is a matter of degree. I’d still like to just kind of think of examples of what might be the situation. I think I am correct in saying that the people feel that the northern islands tend to have more of abundance of let’s say crabs and birds, things of this sort. chicken or a bird (I guessthat So, if a people were to go and eat a would be a bird) or a crab a day up there, is that a problem then if they did that? a month?” ~: (So I ask, “A day, one day out of And he says, “No, each day.”) Do you want to try that one, Bill? (Robison to Ray: No, because we are in a continuous living pattern. don’t know what to say about that. ..) 43 I