Evacuation of Bikini 1 Early in 1946 4t was decided that Bikini Atoll was the most suitable location for the testing of atomic weapons: The Bikini _ people were asked to leave and, as might have been expected of a people of their historical conditioning to obedience, especially after more than @ quarter of a century of autocratic Japanese rule, agreed to leave their ancestral home. The possibilities of resettlement in the Marshalls were very limited because land is scarce (only about 74 square miles) and very little of it is available for settlement. The Marshallese jealously guard their _jland rights and will not willingly part with them. C Problems of Resettlement The 166 Bikinians were offered the choice of moving to eitner Ujae, Marshalls. Lae, or Rongerik, all atolis only exploited by the who had land rights on the atoll. to make copra, reason, presumably, Ujae to fish, and people of neighboring Rongelap, These people visited Rongerik to gather other foods. For this as well as the fact that it was the closest the Bilcind people opted to go to Rongerik rather than or Lae. A village was built of Bikini men, 1 northwestern Ujae and Lae were already regularly inhabited, but Rongerik was to Bikini, in the on Rongerik by Navy Seabees and a group and all of the Bikini people were moved to that por a detailed report of the movements of tne Bikini people from Bikini to Rongerix and to Kili, gee Mason, Leonard ‘The Bikinians A Transplanted Population, Human Organication, Vol. 9, No. 2 1, Spring 1950, 9009597 pp. 5-15. _ ~