interested in resettlement on Wake, but the Pentagon has
declared-that any such resettlement is out of the question.
Palmyra, a privately-owned atoll consisting of 39
islands, poses two major disadvantages for the Bikinians.
First, and most important, it is more than 2,000 miles from
.~ the Marshall Islands; a move to Palmyra would thus isolate
' +-the Bikinians from their traditional environment.

Second,

although the total land area of all 39 islands in the atoll
is over two square miles, none of the islands has as much
living area as Kili, where most of the Bikinians now live.

Given Palmyra's distance from the Marshalls, the people
would want to live together in one central area, but a move
to Palmyra would not permit this.
Moreover, most of the Bikinians have rejected the
possibility of moving to Hawaii,

\

2,400 miles northeast of the

Marshalls, because they fear they would lose their Marshallese
identity and cultural heritage.

ye

With respect to the Marshallese atolls the

:

Bikinians visited, resettlement possibilities are virtually .
nonexistent.

First, there is already some social friction

between the Bikinians and other Marshallese peoples,

and the

continued special treatment the Bikinians will require in
the post-Trusteeship period (e.g.,

food programs and medical

care) may well contribute to greater strains.

Moreover,

resettlement on part of an atoll might create a ghetto environment, with the Bikinians being regarded as intruders and

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