hapter Two
Environmental asl Phscore al Sa anny
ceam frons Washington, D.C. arrived on March 2, the Bikinis
had Jearned the meaning of the motion picture camera and were
enjoying the novelty of posing for photographers. Ou Sunday,
March 3, photographers recorded the last church service performed
on Bikini, and the islanders cooperated by repeating the service
three times before the camera men were satisfied. One of them
later commented that the people were in the process of becom.
ing movie actors:
"
The young gitls were especially susceptible and giggled and posed as
soon as a lens was turned their way. However, by the third day of
our stay, there were so many photographers around, all shooting at
once, that the girls hardly knew whomto pose for. As soon as one
of the professionals settled on an angle, several ofthe amateurs fell
in around him, and after much discussion of exposure, fila specd,
etc., there was a fusillade of shutter clicks (Markwith 1946; 109):
*
ations with the people were te enacted for
che pPladpraphers the
community's cemetery was cleaned and decar
ated with flowers
and palin fronds, and a ceremony was held co bad
farewell to the
Bikinians’ ancestors and to entrust their souls
¢8 the care of Cool,
Phe purpose of the ceremony was inarred whea
the camera con
sclous Bikinians vied for positions immediately
im front of the
cameras, and it was Necessary to repeat the perf
ormance fora
second filming (see photographs in Markwith’s aracl
e in the A
tonal Geographic Magazine July, 1946)
*
By the afternoon of March 7, the ishimders
lock dowded thor
Personal possesstons, neatly one tan of put
as chateh pra dD,
and Canoes on board the LST. They crow
ded the rails of the
main lech ay the vessel departed Bikini’s lapoo
n. Some san
songs of farewell.
Most were stlent; some wept (Mason 1954
2/6). A photographer whe accompanied the
Bakinians on thea
Apparently, the military government had originally planned
to move the Bikinians on March 6, buc che demands of the news
agencies and navy photographic team caused a one day delay in
hazglags
the loading of the LST which had returned from Rongerik. he
military governor's February 10th visit to Bikini and his negoti-
ME,
church service on Bikini, 1946. (Work! Wide Photos.)
Plate 4. Bikinians loading their personal possessions
aboard EST LOB don
the move tu Rongerik, 1946. (Photo by Carl Mydans. Vime
Life tae
if