f. k ay - MB . ees wo = “ on: + . me See ee ee ~~ . ° ei + eee a aTa may aan, . “fe. PR TD Re NE rey ing iin ing: ans, aee bebe Neg Ay: - 8 ro J ol ae. . w . q ta ‘# oe * —™ as s a % oat a “ _ | a “fee af * 3 - , Po . e \ . LT ee . ; wees PRE yep,cette one ~ =Pere eae oS ACM gee "sy P iS . mo fe ae etd tm ee oe “— Te aa eee we . ’ era a. 7. te a ee Tape oth Baea cet eel Paw wi. £ te, ‘ . : eS ec, 2S te +Ren, cette | : 0 wee ee _ _ _ Se © agree, the chief and his people believe they have lived on the sandy atoll since the beginning of time. As the chief told a Congressional subcommittee in 1972, “it is the only ee os . a ateanuabn’ “eats aw whens Scouring the beaches for seashells is an early morning activity. Collecting shark's teeth is another pastime. Occasionally there's a friendly visit from 64-year-old Johannes Peter, Chief of the dri Enewetak. 7 eee ‘wees Oh Se tee nee es me ee eee 2 ere arwandnk ges ae ee se remain that way. ‘We try to let them live their own lives,” said Col. Mixan. wards,” he chuckied. few frail pandanus and breadfruit Pa * there are few coconut palms and in the year since their return the people have survived mainly on fish they catch in the lagoon and staples delivered by ship. They spend their time clearing brush and nursing a aa . place which God hasset aside for us and no other people. For us to live elsewhere would make us squatters and vagabonds." Once, coconut, pandanus, and breadfruit grew in abundance on Enewetak. And coconut crabs, a Marshall islands delicacy, were plentiful. But now, even on Japtan, an island relatively undisturbed by fewer crabs. a ”~ “They are a gentle people. They capture your heart, and you want to do something. The trouble is, you can do too much for them. When we leave, they will have to be self-suff:cient.” The dri Enewetak have already acquired a taste for soft drinks and chewing gum. Ouring a visit to Japtan the colonel was impressed by how quietly the children sat in church, and he complimented the chief on their deportment. The chief the years of American occupation, . ed 4.0% wee Temes”ate tel + seedlings, which will not bear fruit for another five or six years. Eventually, the Department of tnterior will build homes on Japtan, Medren, and Enewetak and replant other islands with more breadfruit, pandanus, coconut, and other crops. But it will be years, ifever, before life on Enewetak will be as it once was. It was and is an austere life, without electricity or indoor plumbing. And by the people's choice, it will grinned. “We give them gum afterYet despite their proximity, social visits by the American workers are rare and special occasions, for which the chief dresses in a shortsleeved shirt, red- and silver-striped tie, and an Air’ Force officer's flight cap resptendent with three stars. Usually, he stands waiting on the wooden pier that stretches into the lagoon like a welcome mat to qreet visitors with a hearty handshake, a grin, and a throaty chuckle. And almost always there are gifts of handmade shell necklaces—tokens of friendship from a people who endured three decades in exile to the people who put them there. and are now working to bring them home aN AIRMAN