Chapter Four Wauiperth ISZl 00S ial Kwaygal. ith thority over them, anda aiumber of INlatders were acbven Alin tet they should seize the OppPa rlunity to Corminate ther subs dinate stattis to hia As hote d carher, Raotyerih Was withi n elas realin of anothes Paramount chief who tad agreed to the Bikias ws’ resettlement in his cegsites y. Subseque ntly, ao considerations had been piven co che Bikinians’ huture relad ionship with eather of the two chiefs. ‘The situation was with out precedent in Marshall exe history; che islanders were residing om one chiets Fated, anil atthe same tine, they were supposedly the subyoots of anothes ‘the deprvatons whieh the Bakitiaas were CN PCr ete Hey pre vielod pounds bo uestioniny Chet telattouss wark cher OFAN EN pou l mount chick hey recalled dhacan was ders respond ity to and them ae dae of need, yet they had recewed no assstance beavis li. Some Bihintans believed that che Aimenicans, particularly the navy, should became then Paramount chieh and had bepia io develop atationale in support of their Posteton. Plate 8. Chief Juda and his wite in 1946 or 1947. (US. Navy photo.) Subsistence activities were coordinated by the council, and men were divided into groups and assigned work on the bast ol the expertise at different casks. ‘The bese fishermen fishes . me age collected vegetable crops, and che rest worked at on yer chron . In an effort to conserve and to engure an equal distribution ° | food, the gathering of coconuts and pandanus from trees tn ane about the village area was prohibited without the councl con sent. The village was divided into four sections with a men berships, and each was headed by an dlub. Juda headle ene 7 tion, the second ranking Ijirik alub headeda second, and t " in: jor alub of Makaoliej and Rinamu headed the chird andl fourth, Food was divided by the council into equal shares for the sec: tions, and the alab in charge of cachallotted it equally among its members. The Paramount Chief. Mason's research also revealed chat | the Bikinians’ decisions about another relocation site were shape by factors unknown to the administration. Che Bikinians’reset clement on Rongerik had undermined the paramount chief's au- Altet all, they tpgucd, who established a sehoot wid rece al dispen “ty on Mikiat and provided (raining for Wikinions to adimintsees froth Who had pone toa #ieat trouble and expen se tosee that Wihinians were sately relocated on another atoll when Bikint was needed fat ao Ont eNpecmentstion? Since the adiminiscati on had bourne all espa sibilities once charged to the Puamount chiel why shouht che Unined States Hot become paramount chick? (Mason 195-449 5) The Bikiains lad observed the Aaneui ans iarstal the amin power and other resources reqtined for Opera tion Crossroads ane their own relocation. The outcome of World War Wand he ain clear experiments were still fresh in mind, and the people Trad clearly eqneluded that American power and materi al wealth were Innmeasurable. bt was readily apparent to Madnny that a satbseitn thon of the United States for the Parone chied wold le: ad Vintageous to them own tacerests and welfare. Other Bikinicnes, however, feed the paramount chie€'s mapgieal powers and tol, Womore conmsetvative stance: “We cannot take another (para mount chic)... nor break with him, for if we dad, somettiany very awful might happen co us” (tid). Repardless of such differences of Opinion, sentiments Faves ing a separation from che paramount chief had stronply influe nced the islanders’ cartier inclination co select Kili asa possibility foe resettlement. Kili was nor part ol any chiefs domain: it had N/